Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd Takes Position in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd disclosed a new position in Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter, buying 619,151 shares worth about $408.7 million. Meta now makes up about 2.9% of the firm’s portfolio and is its 10th-largest holding.
• Meta’s latest earnings showed strong results, with $10.44 EPS versus the $6.67 estimate and revenue of $56.31 billion, up 33.1% from a year earlier. The company also reported strong profitability, including a 36.93% return on equity.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on META, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of about $840.19. Recent news also highlighted support for Meta’s AI strategy, even as some analysts trimmed price targets slightly.

Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 619,151 shares of the social networking company's stock, valued at approximately $408,695,000. Meta Platforms comprises about 2.9% of Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest holding.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Westchester Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Key Capital Management INC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter valued at $48,000. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 36.8% during the 4th quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 78 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of META opened at $600.47 on Tuesday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52-week low of $520.26 and a 52-week high of $796.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a current ratio of 2.35. The business's 50 day moving average price is $617.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $636.73. The firm has a market cap of $1.52 trillion, a PE ratio of 21.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.23.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.67 by $3.77. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 36.93% and a net margin of 32.84%.The firm had revenue of $56.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.56 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $6.43 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 33.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.35 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio is presently 7.63%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

META has been the subject of several research reports. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $800.00 price target (down from $880.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, April 30th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $760.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Arete Research reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $840.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $840.19.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In other news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,847 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $607.83, for a total transaction of $4,769,642.01. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 414 shares of the company's stock, valued at $251,641.62. This represents a 94.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Curtis J. Mahoney sold 2,079 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $609.92, for a total value of $1,268,023.68. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 1,118 shares of the company's stock, valued at $681,890.56. The trade was a 65.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 40,890 shares of company stock valued at $25,315,558 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed its Outperform rating on Meta and set an $810 price target, signaling meaningful upside from current levels. Tickerreport.com
• Positive Sentiment: A new AI adoption study ranked Meta among the top S&P 500 companies for AI execution, reinforcing the view that its AI investments are becoming strategically important. CNBC
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America reiterated a Buy rating and said Meta’s AI monetization and enterprise adoption could help offset concerns about rising spending. Yahoo Finance / Investing.com
• Positive Sentiment: Several outlets highlighted Meta as a top AI and virtual reality stock, adding to the longer-term bullish narrative around its product pipeline and AI push. Motley Fool

Meta Platforms Company Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc NASDAQ: META, formerly Facebook, Inc, is a global technology company best known for building social networking services and immersive computing platforms. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Menlo Park, California, the company operates a family of consumer-facing products and services that connect users, creators and businesses. In October 2021 the company rebranded as Meta to reflect an expanded strategic focus on augmented and virtual reality technologies alongside its social media businesses.

Meta's core consumer products include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and community building across mobile and desktop devices.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding META? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.