Meta Platforms, Inc. $META is Asset Management One Co. Ltd.'s 9th Largest Position

Key Points

• Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its Meta stake 1.4% to 1,059,217 shares, making META its 9th largest holding at roughly $697.7 million (about 1.9% of the firm's portfolio).
• Meta beat Q1 estimates, reporting $8.88 EPS vs. $8.16 expected and $59.89 billion in revenue (up 23.8% y/y); the company carries a $1.72 trillion market cap and a P/E of 28.88.
• Sentiment is mixed: analysts rate META a "Moderate Buy" (avg. target $837) and institutional ownership is ~79.9%, but recent insider sales and Beijing's block of the ~$2 billion Manus deal are meaningful downside risks.

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,059,217 shares of the social networking company's stock after purchasing an additional 14,416 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for about 1.9% of Asset Management One Co. Ltd.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $697,730,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp increased its position in Meta Platforms by 1.9% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 86,925,674 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $64,158,971,000 after buying an additional 1,650,435 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its position in Meta Platforms by 0.7% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 39,247,690 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $28,823,375,000 after buying an additional 278,180 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Meta Platforms by 0.8% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 17,153,754 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $12,597,374,000 after buying an additional 142,229 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in Meta Platforms by 4.1% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 14,332,168 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $10,525,258,000 after buying an additional 558,792 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Meta Platforms by 3.7% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 13,619,341 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $10,001,772,000 after buying an additional 481,276 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Meta Platforms Stock Up 0.5%

META stock opened at $678.62 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.60 and a quick ratio of 2.60. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52-week low of $520.26 and a 52-week high of $796.25. The company has a 50-day moving average of $629.12 and a two-hundred day moving average of $648.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.72 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.31.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $8.16 by $0.72. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 30.08% and a return on equity of 38.61%. The company had revenue of $59.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $58.33 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $8.02 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 23.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.83 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th were paid a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.94%.

Key Stories Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI-driven ad thesis and upbeat Q1 outlook — analysts and bullish commentators say Meta’s ad revenue is being re-accelerated by AI improvements, and some expect another beat-and-raise around the April 29 results, supporting upside for shares. Meta Q1: AI Ad Thesis Getting Stronger
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic infrastructure partnerships — Meta signed a pact with Overview Energy for space-based solar to power data centers (longer-term operational/energy advantage) and a multi-year partnership with CBRE to train fiber technicians, both reinforcing infrastructure and cost/scale plans. Meta partners with space startup Overview Energy to secure solar power for data centers Meta Platforms (META) Partners With CBRE to Train Fiber Technicians
• Positive Sentiment: Commercial AI partnerships with cloud providers — broader coverage of AI partnerships (including reports that AWS and others are working with AI players) underscores demand for Meta’s AI-driven products and ad monetization potential. Amazon Is About to Report Q1 Earnings. Do Options Traders Expect a Major Move in AMZN Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: Big Tech earnings theme — the upcoming Magnificent Seven reports (including Meta) are being framed around AI monetization and cloud demand; this macro narrative can lift or pressure META depending on actual ad/cloud signals. Big Tech faces key earnings test on AI spending and cloud growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional interest — Meta appears on several “top buy” lists and remains heavily held by hedge funds, which supports liquidity but can increase volatility around earnings. 5 Best Big Name Stocks to Buy
• Negative Sentiment: China blocks Manus acquisition — Beijing ordered Meta to unwind its ~$2B purchase of Manus, a setback for Meta’s agentic-AI capability buildout and a reminder of geopolitical risk in cross-border AI deals; this is the biggest immediate negative catalyst. China vetoes Meta's $2B Manus deal after months-long probe
• Negative Sentiment: Options/volatility and margin concerns — some observers warn that heavy bullish options positioning and rising AI-related spending (Reality Labs and infra/CapEx) leave META exposed to a post-earnings volatility collapse or margin-pressure-driven pullback. Meta's Stock May Plunge Following Results Buy, Sell or Hold Meta Platforms Stock? Key Tips Ahead of Q1 Earnings

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $667.00, for a total value of $386,860.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 3,847 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,565,949. This trade represents a 13.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 926 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $680.09, for a total transaction of $629,763.34. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 9,631 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,549,946.79. The trade was a 8.77% 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 165,600 shares of company stock valued at $106,023,973. 13.61% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on META. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $815.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $930.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Citizens Jmp restated a "market outperform" rating and set a $900.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Raymond James Financial decreased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $800.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and set a $820.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $837.09.

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.

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