Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Holdings Reduced by Waycross Partners LLC

Key Points

• Waycross Partners cut its Meta stake by 17.7% in the third quarter, selling 14,215 shares; it retained 65,870 shares worth about $47.8 million, its seventh-largest holding.
• Institutional investors made mixed moves in Meta, with some firms adding or initiating positions; institutions and hedge funds collectively owned 79.91% of the stock.
• Meta beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting $7.40 in EPS and $64.6 billion in revenue. Analysts’ consensus rating was “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $833.12.

Waycross Partners LLC lowered its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 17.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 65,870 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 14,215 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises approximately 3.7% of Waycross Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Waycross Partners LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $47,768,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cannon Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 3rd quarter valued at $221,000. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 3rd quarter worth $9,127,000. Alps Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 50.8% in the 3rd quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 60,785 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $44,080,000 after purchasing an additional 20,479 shares during the last quarter. Providence First Trust Co grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 188.1% in the 3rd quarter. Providence First Trust Co now owns 3,163 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $2,294,000 after purchasing an additional 2,065 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canvas Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Canvas Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,973 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $4,332,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Meta Platforms News Summary

Here's some of the latest news about META:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan named Meta its preferred internet stock, citing AI’s contribution to advertising performance and potential growth in Family of Apps ad revenue. Article: Meta Platforms Wins JPMorgan Backing
• Positive Sentiment: Meta launched its Muse AI agent on Apple Watch and Wear OS, adding voice and text access that could broaden use of its assistant. Article: Meta's AI agent Muse lands on Apple Watch
• Neutral Sentiment: Infrastructure chief Santosh Janardhan is set to leave in early 2027, with former AWS executive David Brown slated to succeed him and lead infrastructure work tied to Meta’s AI computing initiative. The planned succession may support continuity, though the leadership change comes during a major infrastructure buildout. Article: Meta head of infrastructure will leave and be succeeded by former AWS cloud exec

Meta Platforms Stock Down 2.0%

META stock opened at $628.77 on Thursday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52-week low of $520.26 and a 52-week high of $779.82. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $678.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $632.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.61 trillion, a P/E ratio of 21.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.28.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.86. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 31.15% and a return on equity of 30.73%. The firm had revenue of $64.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.34 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $7.25 EPS. The company's revenue was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.01 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were given a $0.5250 dividend. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Benchmark reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $800.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Tigress Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating and set a $945.00 price objective (down from $995.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Wedbush increased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $700.00 to $730.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, President Capital raised Meta Platforms from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $660.00 to $897.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $833.12.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $614.15, for a total transaction of $580,985.90. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 4,094 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,514,330.10. The trade was a 18.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 149,398 shares of company stock valued at $102,134,435 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 13.42% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc. is a global technology company that develops social networking, messaging, and digital communication products. Its services include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Threads, which connect people and help businesses reach audiences around the world. The company also develops virtual and augmented reality products and technologies through its Reality Labs division, including Quest headsets and related software and services. Advertising is a central part of Meta's business, with its platforms providing tools for businesses to promote products and services.

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