Meta Platforms, Inc. $META is Baxter Bros Inc.'s 6th Largest Position

Key Points

• Baxter Bros Inc. raised its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. by 2.9% during the second quarter, making it the fund's 6th largest position worth approximately $27.9 million.
• Meta reported a quarterly earnings per share of $7.14, exceeding estimates of $5.75, with a revenue increase of 21.6% year-over-year, totaling $47.52 billion.
• Insider trading activity showed that 214,182 shares of Meta stock worth over $164.9 million were sold by insiders in the last quarter, indicating possible strategic moves within the company.

Baxter Bros Inc. lifted its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 2.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 37,793 shares of the social networking company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,062 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises 3.4% of Baxter Bros Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 6th largest position. Baxter Bros Inc.'s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $27,895,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Inlight Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Barnes Dennig Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the first quarter worth about $28,000. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the first quarter worth about $33,000. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 237.5% during the second quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 54 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, JCIC Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 102.6% during the first quarter. JCIC Asset Management Inc. now owns 79 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $716.91 on Friday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $479.80 and a 1 year high of $796.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.80 trillion, a PE ratio of 25.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.97 and a quick ratio of 1.97. The business's 50 day moving average price is $746.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $683.03.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The social networking company reported $7.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.75 by $1.39. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 39.33% and a net margin of 39.99%.The firm had revenue of $47.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $44.55 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.16 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 21.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Meta Platforms has set its Q3 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 22nd were given a $0.525 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 22nd. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is currently 7.60%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on META. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Meta Platforms from $635.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Meta Platforms from $845.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Hsbc Global Res raised Meta Platforms from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price objective on Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Loop Capital reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $980.00 price objective (up from $888.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $830.68.

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, insider Jennifer Newstead sold 519 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $707.85, for a total value of $367,374.15. Following the sale, the insider owned 28,794 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,381,832.90. This trade represents a 1.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 465 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $716.97, for a total value of $333,391.05. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 7,947 shares in the company, valued at $5,697,760.59. This represents a 5.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 214,182 shares of company stock worth $164,933,323 over the last quarter. 13.61% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc engages in the development of products that enable people to connect and share with friends and family through mobile devices, personal computers, virtual reality headsets, and wearables worldwide. It operates in two segments, Family of Apps and Reality Labs. The Family of Apps segment offers Facebook, which enables people to share, discuss, discover, and connect with interests; Instagram, a community for sharing photos, videos, and private messages, as well as feed, stories, reels, video, live, and shops; Messenger, a messaging application for people to connect with friends, family, communities, and businesses across platforms and devices through text, audio, and video calls; and WhatsApp, a messaging application that is used by people and businesses to communicate and transact privately.

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