Legal & General Group Plc Has $7.94 Billion Stock Holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Legal & General reduced its Meta position by 1.3% in the second quarter, selling 190,868 shares and retaining 14.1 million shares worth approximately $7.94 billion. Meta remains the fund’s 10th-largest holding and represents 1.7% of its portfolio.
• Meta insiders sold 81,758 shares valued at about $51.2 million over the past 90 days, including substantial sales by the CFO and COO under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans. Institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of the company.
• Meta reported 28% year-over-year revenue growth to $60.8 billion, but quarterly EPS of $6.18 missed estimates of $7.19. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $788.88, while the company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share.

Legal & General Group Plc decreased its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 1.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 14,099,436 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 190,868 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms accounts for 1.7% of Legal & General Group Plc's portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Legal & General Group Plc owned approximately 0.55% of Meta Platforms worth $7,942,071,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 8.9% during the 2nd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,518,377 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $836,209,000 after acquiring an additional 123,604 shares during the last quarter. Sone Capital Management LLC increased its position in Meta Platforms by 38.2% in the second quarter. Sone Capital Management LLC now owns 16,059 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $9,046,000 after purchasing an additional 4,440 shares during the last quarter. Trajan Wealth LLC raised its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.1% during the second quarter. Trajan Wealth LLC now owns 133,908 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $75,429,000 after purchasing an additional 1,447 shares in the last quarter. Veratis Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at $205,000. Finally, Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Meta Platforms by 20.0% during the second quarter. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC now owns 636 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $358,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In related news, CFO Susan Li sold 9,196 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total transaction of $5,063,409.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 13,186 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,260,343.46. The trade was a 41.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 3,348 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $600.97, for a total value of $2,012,047.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 9,498 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,708,013.06. This represents a 26.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 81,758 shares of company stock worth $51,214,020 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

NASDAQ META opened at $665.75 on Friday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $606.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $609.79. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $790.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.70 trillion, a P/E ratio of 25.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%.The business had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $7.14 EPS. Meta Platforms's revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st will be given a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio is presently 7.91%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on META shares. Arete Research set a $735.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Meta Platforms from $766.00 to $715.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $810.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Monday, June 1st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $788.88.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s Muse personal AI agent reached No. 1 on Apple’s U.S. free-app chart, surpassing ChatGPT roughly one week after launch. Its ability to handle shopping, bookings, email and phone calls could give Meta a significant consumer-AI growth platform and strengthen the case for future subscriptions or commerce revenue. Meta's Muse tops Apple's US free app chart
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America said Meta’s internally developed MTIA AI chips could save approximately $8.5 billion in 2027 by reducing reliance on third-party processors. Custom silicon could improve the economics of Meta’s expanding AI infrastructure over time. Meta Can Save $8.5 Billion in 2027 by Using Its Own MTIA Chips
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and upcoming product announcements remain potential catalysts. Rosenblatt reiterated a Buy rating, while investors are looking ahead to Meta Connect on September 23 for additional AI, glasses and subscription details. Meta Earns Buy Rating from Rosenblatt Securities
• Neutral Sentiment: Muse’s early popularity is encouraging, but analysts disagree on its financial impact. The generous free tier may accelerate adoption while delaying revenue and increasing computing costs; consumer distrust of Meta and the need to provide sensitive account data could also limit paid conversion. Meta’s Muse Agent Has Wall Street Divided on Its AI Potential
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are taking profits after META rose roughly 23%–24% over the past month. Valuation and expectations have risen quickly, increasing sensitivity to any evidence that AI spending will not generate near-term earnings growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Meta’s AI investment program is placing significant pressure on cash flow. Articles highlighted a more than 90% decline in free cash flow as capital expenditures rise, raising concerns about the payback period for data centers, chips and other infrastructure. Meta Versus Oracle: AI Capex Payback Velocity
• Negative Sentiment: Legal and reputational pressure is increasing. A German court held Meta liable for fraudulent third-party ads, while regulators and its Oversight Board criticized safeguards against deepfakes and nonconsensual filming involving its smart glasses. These issues could increase compliance costs and threaten user trust. German Court Rules Meta Liable for Fake Ads
• Negative Sentiment: Chief Product Officer Christopher Cox sold 20,000 shares worth approximately $13.5 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The planned nature reduces the signal, but the sale may still weigh modestly on sentiment. SEC Insider Trading Filing

Meta Platforms Company Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc develops technologies that help people connect, communicate and build communities online. The company's principal products include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and digital communication.

Meta generates most of its business through advertising displayed across its family of apps. It also develops artificial intelligence technologies, business messaging tools and hardware and software through its Reality Labs division, including Quest virtual- and mixed-reality devices and related experiences.

The company was founded as Facebook in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and was renamed Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect its broader focus on building the metaverse.

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