Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Position Cut by Factory Mutual Insurance Co.

Factory Mutual Insurance Co. decreased its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 9.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 257,231 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 26,760 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises about 1.7% of Factory Mutual Insurance Co.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Factory Mutual Insurance Co.'s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $186,539,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 18.6% during the 2nd quarter. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd now owns 18,777 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $10,577,000 after buying an additional 2,939 shares during the period. Madison Wealth Partners Inc boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 33.6% during the 2nd quarter. Madison Wealth Partners Inc now owns 3,031 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $1,707,000 after acquiring an additional 763 shares in the last quarter. William John Sempolinski acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth about $3,107,000. Sone Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 38.2% in the 2nd quarter. Sone Capital Management LLC now owns 16,059 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $9,046,000 after purchasing an additional 4,440 shares during the period. Finally, Lakewood Capital Management LP grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 63.7% during the 2nd quarter. Lakewood Capital Management LP now owns 115,985 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $65,333,000 after acquiring an additional 45,130 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on META. Loop Capital lifted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $740.00 to $955.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. UBS Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $920.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $886.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Citic Securities decreased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $718.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $850.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $833.12.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ META opened at $610.15 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $1.56 trillion, a P/E ratio of 20.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a current ratio of 1.90. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $674.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $632.16. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52-week low of $520.26 and a 52-week high of $779.82.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.86. The business had revenue of $64.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $63.34 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 30.73% and a net margin of 31.15%. Meta Platforms's revenue for the quarter was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $7.25 EPS. Analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.01 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were given a $0.5250 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.16%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Meta Platforms news, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 40,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 21st. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. This represents a 17.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available 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 firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total transaction of $2,002,514.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 6,271 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,875,854.26. This trade represents a 34.07% 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. Insiders have sold 149,398 shares of company stock valued at $102,134,435 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 13.42% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta launched Spaces, a collaboration feature for its Muse AI agents, following the rollout of Muse Voice. The new offerings may help strengthen user engagement and expand Meta’s consumer AI ecosystem. Meta introduces Spaces
• Positive Sentiment: Recent earnings commentary points to AI supporting Meta’s advertising operations, reinforcing the potential for the company’s AI investments to generate revenue. Takeaways from recent earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta paused planned updates to its terms and is keeping existing rules in place. The move avoids an immediate policy change, though the underlying issues remain unresolved. Meta pauses planned terms updates
• Neutral Sentiment: Plans for new nonvoting Class C shares have been described as effectively creating a 2-for-1 split. A split changes the number of shares, but does not by itself change the company’s underlying value; the structure preserves Mark Zuckerberg’s voting control. Is Meta Platforms next for a stock split?
• Negative Sentiment: Meta and other platforms sued to block California restrictions on social-media features for users under 16. The case adds regulatory uncertainty and potential legal costs. Platforms sue over California teen social-media law
• Negative Sentiment: Meta warned that political backlash and possible limits on data-center construction could complicate its AI expansion. Its $15 billion senior-notes offering also highlights the scale of financing required for investment. Data-center expansion concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Reported ETF net selling and insider share sales may add short-term pressure, although the disclosed insider transaction was made under a pre-arranged trading plan. ETFs are net sellers of Meta Platforms

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc is a global technology company that develops social networking, messaging, and digital communication products. Its services include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Threads, which connect people and help businesses reach audiences around the world.

The company also develops virtual and augmented reality products and technologies through its Reality Labs division, including Quest headsets and related software and services. Advertising is a central part of Meta's business, with its platforms providing tools for businesses to promote products and services.

Founded in 2004 as Facebook by Mark Zuckerberg and fellow students, the company changed its name to Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect its broader focus on building social technologies and immersive digital experiences.

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