Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. Has $23.36 Million Stock Position in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. increased its Meta stake by 5% in the second quarter to 41,480 shares valued at approximately $23.36 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 79.91% of Meta’s stock.
• Meta reported 28% year-over-year revenue growth to $60.8 billion, although quarterly EPS of $6.18 missed the $7.19 consensus estimate. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $785.22.
• Meta’s AI investments and advertising growth provide potential upside, but investors face risks from an estimated $17 billion–$18 billion child-safety settlement, rising AI infrastructure costs, compliance requirements and recent insider selling.

Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 41,480 shares of the social networking company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,961 shares during the period. Meta Platforms makes up 1.0% of Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc.'s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $23,365,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in META. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 17.4% in the first quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 18,000 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $10,299,000 after purchasing an additional 2,670 shares during the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH grew its position in Meta Platforms by 15.7% in the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 133,798 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $88,319,000 after purchasing an additional 18,169 shares in the last quarter. WMS Group LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter worth about $876,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 199,995,630 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $132,015,115,000 after buying an additional 7,269,279 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Czech National Bank lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 625,079 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $352,101,000 after buying an additional 29,411 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts see Meta’s AI investments improving ad targeting and engagement, potentially allowing the company to challenge Google for digital-advertising leadership. The strong advertising outlook is particularly important after Meta’s latest quarter delivered 28% year-over-year revenue growth to $60.8 billion. Meta versus Google advertising analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Several reports characterize META as undervalued, citing a forward P/E of roughly 16—well below its historical average—and arguing that legal clarity plus new AI products could support substantial upside. The settlement may remove a major overhang even though it carries a large financial charge. Meta valuation and AI upside analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush reaffirmed a Neutral rating but raised or maintained a $595 price target, implying modest upside from the referenced trading level. Separately, the planned IPO of Meta-backed Indian telecom operator Jio Platforms could improve the value and liquidity of an important investment. Meta market news Jio Platforms IPO approval
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta is switching internal communications from Google Chat to Slack because management considers Slack better suited to AI agents. The move highlights Meta’s push to integrate AI into operations but is not expected to materially change near-term financial results. Meta switches to Slack
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta-backed AI startup Manus said it has resumed independent operations after China blocked Meta’s proposed acquisition. This removes some uncertainty around the transaction but also means Meta will not immediately gain full ownership of the startup. Manus resumes independent operations
• Negative Sentiment: The approximately $17 billion–$18 billion settlement over alleged harm to children creates a substantial cash cost and requires stronger age verification, potentially increasing compliance expenses and reducing young-user engagement. Critics also question whether the agreement will resolve regulatory pressure. Meta child-safety settlement requirements
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Meta spent heavily on AI infrastructure underscore depreciation and capital-expenditure risks: investors must determine whether the spending will generate enough incremental advertising and product revenue. Meta also removed dozens of India-based malware advertisements, highlighting continuing platform-safety and reputational risks. Big Tech AI spending risks Meta removes fraudulent India ads

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In related news, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 500 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $561.56, for a total value of $280,780.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 2,943 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,652,671.08. This trade represents a 14.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total value of $4,379,184.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer owned 828 shares in the company, valued at $462,024. This represents a 90.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 32,987 shares of company stock valued at $19,202,995. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Meta Platforms Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of META stock opened at $578.54 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market cap of $1.47 trillion, a P/E ratio of 21.79, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a 50 day moving average of $592.78 and a 200-day moving average of $609.82. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $790.80.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The firm had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $7.14 EPS. Meta Platforms's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on META shares. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $800.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen lowered Meta Platforms from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Meta Platforms from $835.00 to $640.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Rosenblatt Securities upped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $883.00 to $886.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Scotiabank reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $600.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $785.22.

Meta Platforms 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.

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