Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stake Reduced by Mizuho Securities USA LLC

Mizuho Securities USA LLC decreased its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 15.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 175,345 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 31,270 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms accounts for about 2.2% of Mizuho Securities USA LLC's holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Mizuho Securities USA LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $101,062,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Berger Financial Group Inc boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 7.2% during the 1st quarter. Berger Financial Group Inc now owns 5,000 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $2,882,000 after acquiring an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. Pandora Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 1st quarter worth approximately $10,366,000. Fiduciary Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 1st quarter worth approximately $4,046,000. Taylor Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. Taylor Financial Group Inc. now owns 538 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $310,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Johnson Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $653,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of META stock traded up $13.40 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $765.70. 10,590,497 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,781,403. The company has a quick ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The stock has a market cap of $1.92 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.72, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.24. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $739.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $660.03. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $479.80 and a fifty-two week high of $796.25.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Susan J. Li sold 18,332 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $764.71, for a total value of $14,018,663.72. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 84,141 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $64,343,464.11. This trade represents a 17.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 15,847 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $753.43, for a total value of $11,939,605.21. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 290,046 shares of company stock valued at $218,812,787. 13.61% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

META has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $920.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Meta Platforms from $808.00 to $880.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Scotiabank upped their target price on Meta Platforms from $675.00 to $685.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Barclays upped their target price on Meta Platforms from $640.00 to $810.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Meta Platforms from $783.00 to $811.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Meta Platforms presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $822.41.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

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.