Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Position Cut by James Investment Research Inc.

Key Points

• James Investment Research cut its stake in Meta by 7.5% in Q4, leaving it with 16,912 shares valued at about $11.16 million, which represents 1.2% of the firm's portfolio.
• Meta posted a strong Q1 beat with EPS $10.44 vs. $6.67 expected and revenue of $56.31 billion (up 33.1% year-over-year), while analysts revised price targets (average ~$840.31) and maintain a mostly positive consensus.
• Investors face near-term risks from Meta’s massive planned spending—reported 2026 capex of $125–$145 billion (plus ~$10B for AI)—and recent insider selling, which could pressure sentiment despite high institutional ownership (~79.9%).

James Investment Research Inc. lowered its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 7.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 16,912 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 1,364 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for 1.2% of James Investment Research Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. James Investment Research Inc.'s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $11,163,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of META. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 34.2% in the third quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 52,252 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $38,373,000 after purchasing an additional 13,311 shares in the last quarter. Becker Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 5.0% during the third quarter. Becker Capital Management Inc. now owns 35,052 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $25,741,000 after purchasing an additional 1,657 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co. lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 84,059 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $55,487,000 after purchasing an additional 3,336 shares during the period. Cramer Rosenthal Mcglynn LLC lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 16.2% in the third quarter. Cramer Rosenthal Mcglynn LLC now owns 6,933 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $5,091,000 after purchasing an additional 968 shares during the period. Finally, Consolidated Investment Group LLC grew its position in Meta Platforms by 61.2% in the 4th quarter. Consolidated Investment Group LLC now owns 7,900 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $5,215,000 after buying an additional 3,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $908.00 to $865.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $835.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Meta Platforms from $710.00 to $730.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $810.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price target on Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Four investment 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $840.31.

More Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and valuation support — analysts highlight a 33% revenue increase and large EPS beat, arguing META is undervalued after the pullback; this reinforces buy thesis given strong ad monetization and cash flow. Meta Is Undervalued, But Will Need A Second Growth Engine (Rating Upgrade)
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional accumulation — Fisher Asset Management recently increased its Meta stake, signaling continued confidence from large investors and supporting near-term demand for shares. Fisher Asset Management Boosts Meta Stake With 75,590 Shares
• Positive Sentiment: Data-center demand validation — Corning disclosed a multi-year, $6B supply agreement that names Meta among hyperscale customers, validating ongoing infrastructure commitment that underpins Meta’s AI/data-center strategy. Light Speed Returns: Corning Cashes In on NVIDIA Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Product roadmap — reports say Meta is building a consumer-friendly agentic AI assistant, which could drive longer-term user/product monetization but is still early-stage. Big Tech's Personal AI Agents Are Coming for the to-Do List
• Neutral Sentiment: Financing activity — Bloomberg-sourced reports say Meta is working on up to ~$13B in data-center financing for an El Paso build; that eases near-term cash outflow but also signals large ongoing capital needs. Here’s Why Meta Platforms (META) Is Among the 10 Strong Buy S&P 500 Stocks to Invest In
• Neutral Sentiment: Legal update — Meta has asked a judge to overturn a landmark jury verdict in a social-media addiction case; an appeal reduces immediate downside but legal overhang remains. Meta asks California judge to throw out landmark social media addiction verdict
• Negative Sentiment: Massive capex concern — coverage highlights Meta’s projected 2026 capex of $125–$145B (plus an extra $10B on AI), which keeps investors anxious about cash deployment, near-term margins, and capital returns. Tens of Thousands of Tech Workers Are Being Laid Off in 2026. The $725 Billion That Replaced Them Is Going to Four Companies.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — COO Javier Olivan executed stock sales under a 10b5-1 plan; while pre-arranged, such disclosures can add to short-term selling pressure. SEC filing: Javier Olivan insider sale
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst pushback — some firms (eg. Mizuho) have trimmed expectations, reflecting concern that ad growth and margin leverage may slow as Meta scales heavy infra spending. Mizuho Has Lowered Expectations for Meta Platforms NASDAQ: META Stock Price

Meta Platforms Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ META opened at $616.81 on Friday. 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, Inc. has a one year low of $520.26 and a one year high of $796.25. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $627.67 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $645.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.56 trillion, a PE ratio of 22.42, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.67 by $3.77. The company had revenue of $56.31 billion for 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%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 33.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.43 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th were given a $0.525 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio is presently 7.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $667.00, for a total transaction of $386,860.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 3,847 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,565,949. This trade represents a 13.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 926 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $607.74, for a total value of $562,767.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 7,779 shares in the company, valued at $4,727,609.46. This trade represents a 10.64% 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 168,193 shares of company stock valued at $107,642,717. Insiders own 13.61% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

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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