Meta Platforms, Inc. $META is Draper Asset Management LLC's 5th Largest Position

Key Points

• Draper Asset Management increased its Meta position by 9.2% in the second quarter to 37,787 shares valued at approximately $21.3 million, making Meta its fifth-largest holding and 10.8% of its portfolio.
• Institutional investors own 79.91% of Meta, while insiders have sold about $80.8 million worth of shares over the past 90 days under pre-arranged trading plans.
• Analysts maintain a favorable outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $796.95; however, Meta’s latest quarterly EPS missed estimates despite revenue rising 28% year over year.

Draper Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 9.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 37,787 shares of the social networking company's stock after buying an additional 3,194 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms accounts for approximately 10.8% of Draper Asset Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Draper Asset Management LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $21,285,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of META. Auto Owners Insurance Co grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 76,587.7% in the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 105,292,277 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $69,502,379,000 after purchasing an additional 105,154,977 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 52,806,712 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $34,734,628,000 after buying an additional 878,396 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter worth about $22,152,075,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Meta Platforms by 14.6% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,038,035 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $12,036,491,000 after buying an additional 2,673,494 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Meta Platforms by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 18,200,469 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $12,013,948,000 after buying an additional 1,046,715 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 40,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total transaction of $28,510,400.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. The trade was a 17.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total value of $2,002,514.40. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 6,271 shares in the company, valued at $3,875,854.26. This trade represents a 34.07% 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. Insiders have sold a total of 123,333 shares of company stock worth $80,795,845 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on META. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Meta Platforms from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $640.00 to $820.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $710.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $886.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. Finally, Phillip Securities upgraded Meta Platforms to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $796.95.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

META opened at $744.10 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $610.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $611.16. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a twelve month low of $520.26 and a twelve month high of $763.90. 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 company has a market capitalization of $1.90 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.03, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). The business had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $7.14 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.93 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be given a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio is currently 7.91%.

Key Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Muse adoption is strengthening the AI growth narrative. Muse reportedly reached the top of Apple’s U.S. free-app rankings, with early downloads approaching 900,000. Investors are increasingly viewing the product as a potential consumer “killer app” and a new distribution channel for Meta’s AI capabilities. Meta's standoff with Amazon over Muse could be a sign of things to come
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised their expectations. KeyCorp lifted its price target to $900 from $780, while Cantor Fitzgerald raised its target to $860 from $680; both maintained overweight ratings. The upgrades reflect expectations that AI agents could become a significant third growth curve for Meta. KeyBanc Adjusts PT on Meta Platforms to $900
• Positive Sentiment: Commerce and hardware opportunities are expanding. Muse’s integration with Shopify’s Shop Pay could let users complete purchases through the agent, giving Meta a path to transaction-based monetization. Meta is also bringing Muse to smart glasses and advancing a broader hardware push ahead of Meta Connect. Meta is bringing its Muse AI agent to its glasses
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta Connect is a near-term catalyst. Investors are awaiting announcements on Muse, AI models, smart glasses and other devices that could clarify the company’s product roadmap and monetization strategy.
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive and regulatory risks remain. Amazon blocked Muse from accessing its site, while privacy and security concerns surrounding AI agents and camera-equipped glasses could limit adoption or invite additional scrutiny. Meta's New AI Agent Is an Instant Hit—and the Backlash Has Already Begun
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and valuation create caution. COO Javier Olivan and Chief Product Officer Christopher Cox sold shares under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans. Technical analysts also warn that the recent rally increases the risk of a short-term pullback, even as the longer-term trend remains bullish.

Meta Platforms Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc develops technologies that help people connect, communicate and build communities online. The company's principal products include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and digital communication.

Meta generates most of its business through advertising displayed across its family of apps. It also develops artificial intelligence technologies, business messaging tools and hardware and software through its Reality Labs division, including Quest virtual- and mixed-reality devices and related experiences.

The company was founded as Facebook in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and was renamed Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect its broader focus on building the metaverse.

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