Meta Platforms, Inc. $META is Emerald Investment Advisers LLC's 10th Largest Position

Key Points

• Emerald Investment Advisers increased its Meta stake by 8.1% in the second quarter to 33,124 shares valued at approximately $18.7 million, making Meta its 10th-largest holding. Institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of the company.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish: Meta has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $788.88, despite some analysts recently lowering their targets.
• Meta reported 28% year-over-year revenue growth to $60.8 billion in its latest quarter, though earnings of $6.18 per share missed expectations of $7.19. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share, equal to a 0.3% annualized yield.

Emerald Investment Advisers LLC grew its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 8.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 33,124 shares of the social networking company's stock after buying an additional 2,495 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for 1.2% of Emerald Investment Advisers LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Emerald Investment Advisers LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $18,658,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brilliance Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth $23,172,000. Westpac Banking Corp lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 0.8% in the second quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 48,156 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $27,126,000 after acquiring an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. Avanda Investment Management Pte. Ltd. boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 28.1% in the second quarter. Avanda Investment Management Pte. Ltd. now owns 2,920 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $1,645,000 after acquiring an additional 640 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 16.9% in the second quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 262,961 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $148,123,000 after acquiring an additional 37,956 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Heartland Bank & Trust Co grew its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.4% during the second quarter. Heartland Bank & Trust Co now owns 7,603 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $4,283,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Monness Crespi & Hardt cut their target price on Meta Platforms from $890.00 to $730.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $800.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Wednesday. Benchmark reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $750.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $763.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $788.88.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of META stock opened at $673.31 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $605.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $609.16. The company has a market cap of $1.72 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.25. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%.The company's revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $7.14 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.17 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

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

Key Stories Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI subscriptions create a potential new revenue stream. Meta launched Meta One subscription tiers offering expanded access to AI tools and premium features across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. The company says the program has reached 15 million subscriptions and trials, supporting the case that Meta can generate recurring revenue beyond advertising. Reuters article on Meta One subscriptions
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain bullish. Rosenblatt reaffirmed a Buy rating with an $886 price target, while JPMorgan highlighted improving AI monetization and better advertising performance. Citi also said next week’s developers conference could provide a catalyst if Meta unveils compelling AI and hardware updates. Citi commentary on Meta’s upcoming event
• Positive Sentiment: New hardware and infrastructure initiatives could broaden Meta’s AI ecosystem. Meta reportedly plans to launch camera-free smart glasses this fall, while expanded use of proprietary AI chips could reduce reliance on Nvidia and potentially lower computing costs. Reuters article on camera-free smart glasses
• Neutral Sentiment: Management is defending a faster, company-led AI development strategy. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Meta delayed its Muse AI agent to address safety concerns but opposed broad development slowdowns, favoring independent evaluators and internal safeguards.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and execution risks remain. BMO identified expanding age-verification requirements as a potential challenge, while new restrictions on youth-oriented advertising practices could increase Meta’s legal and compliance costs. Investors are also watching the company’s large AI infrastructure commitments, which could pressure free cash flow if advertising growth or AI utilization disappoints.
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider selling adds a limited cautionary signal. COO Javier Olivan sold shares worth roughly $1.0 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The transactions reduce his holdings but do not necessarily indicate a change in management’s outlook.

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In related news, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,196 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total transaction of $5,063,409.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 13,186 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,260,343.46. The trade was a 41.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 3,348 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $600.97, for a total transaction of $2,012,047.56. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 9,498 shares in the company, valued at $5,708,013.06. The trade was a 26.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 61,758 shares of company stock worth $37,709,420. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

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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