Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock Holdings Lifted by Moody National Bank Trust Division

Key Points

• Moody National Bank Trust Division has increased its stake in Meta Platforms, now holding 26,523 shares, making it the bank's 9th largest investment position valued at approximately $19.6 million.
• Meta Platforms reported a solid Q2 earnings with an earnings per share of $7.14, exceeding expectations, and revenue of $47.52 billion, marking a year-over-year increase of 21.6%.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share, with an expected annual yield of 0.3%, highlighting its commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Moody National Bank Trust Division raised its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 3.0% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 26,523 shares of the social networking company's stock after purchasing an additional 766 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for 1.8% of Moody National Bank Trust Division's portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Moody National Bank Trust Division's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $19,576,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of META. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 67,172.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 23,452,665 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $13,517,178,000 after purchasing an additional 23,417,803 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 2.3% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 17,669,795 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $10,184,163,000 after buying an additional 400,927 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 8.8% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 15,575,962 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $8,977,361,000 after acquiring an additional 1,255,546 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.5% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 12,543,468 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $7,229,553,000 after purchasing an additional 536,160 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,041,171 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $5,787,329,000 after buying an additional 247,850 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 15,847 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $753.43, for a total transaction of $11,939,605.21. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 60,000 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $775.95, for a total value of $46,557,000.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 237,205 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $184,059,219.75. This represents a 20.19% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 257,922 shares of company stock valued at $196,412,792. Insiders own 13.61% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of META traded down $1.87 on Friday, hitting $778.38. The company's stock had a trading volume of 22,494,703 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,828,774. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $479.80 and a fifty-two week high of $796.25. 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 firm's fifty day moving average price is $747.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $666.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.96 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.24.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The social networking company reported $7.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.75 by $1.39. The firm 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 revenue for the quarter was up 21.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $5.16 earnings per share. Meta Platforms has set its Q3 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 29th. Investors of record on Monday, September 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 22nd. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

META has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $845.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Meta Platforms from $635.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Roth Capital lifted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $620.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res raised Meta Platforms from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $826.05.

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.