Meta Platforms, Inc. $META is Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC's 9th Largest Position

Key Points

• Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC increased its Meta stake by 20.7% in the fourth quarter, ending with 5,987 shares worth about $3.95 million. Meta is now its 9th largest holding and represents roughly 2.8% of the portfolio.
• Meta continues to attract major institutional interest, with about 79.91% of the stock owned by hedge funds and other institutions. Several smaller funds also added new positions in the latest filing period.
• The stock faces a mixed backdrop: analysts remain broadly bullish on growth and AI spending, but Meta is also dealing with legal and regulatory pressure, including a Supreme Court setback in Vermont and a new lawsuit over alleged scam-related AI ads.

Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 20.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,987 shares of the social networking company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,027 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for about 2.8% of Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Stoneridge Investment Partners LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $3,952,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Westchester Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Key Capital Management INC purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter worth about $48,000. Fairway Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 36.8% during the 4th quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 78 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Merrithew & Thorsten Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter worth about $52,000. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Investors are viewing Meta’s massive AI spending more favorably as analysts and market commentators argue the AI boom could last longer than expected, potentially strengthening the company’s competitive position. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent pieces continue to frame Meta as a top long-term growth stock and a stock drawing increased investor attention, which can help reinforce bullish sentiment around the name. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta is making a major workforce reduction in Washington state as part of a broader AI-driven restructuring, which may improve efficiency over time but also signals a significant internal reset. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: The company is also getting additional investor and public scrutiny around AI, jobs, and capital allocation, with commentary suggesting the market is still debating whether Meta’s heavy AI investment will pay off. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: JLens is urging shareholders to back a proposal demanding more transparency on content moderation, highlighting ongoing governance and brand-safety concerns ahead of the annual meeting. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Meta’s challenge to Vermont’s social media addiction lawsuit, keeping legal exposure alive in a case centered on alleged harms to young users. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Meta also faces a new lawsuit from Santa Clara County over allegedly scam-related AI ads, adding another regulatory and reputational overhang tied to ad practices and user safety. Article Title

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $612.34 on Wednesday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year high of $796.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.55 trillion, a PE ratio of 22.26, a PEG ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.25. The business's 50 day moving average is $617.09 and its 200-day moving average is $636.70. The company has a current ratio of 2.35, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.67 by $3.77. The business had revenue of $56.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.56 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 36.93% and a net margin of 32.84%.Meta Platforms's revenue was up 33.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $6.43 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Meta Platforms news, CFO Susan J. Li sold 56,571 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $644.70, for a total value of $36,471,323.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,847 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $607.83, for a total value of $4,769,642.01. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 414 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $251,641.62. The trade was a 94.99% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold 95,471 shares of company stock worth $60,616,955 in the last 90 days. 13.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

META has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Evercore raised their price target on Meta Platforms from $875.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $910.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Citizens Jmp reissued a "market outperform" rating and set a $900.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, KeyCorp reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $760.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $840.19.

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc NASDAQ: META, formerly Facebook, Inc, is a global technology company best known for building social networking services and immersive computing platforms. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Menlo Park, California, the company operates a family of consumer-facing products and services that connect users, creators and businesses. In October 2021 the company rebranded as Meta to reflect an expanded strategic focus on augmented and virtual reality technologies alongside its social media businesses.

Meta's core consumer products include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and community building across mobile and desktop devices.

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