Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Position Increased by TD Waterhouse Canada Inc.

Key Points

• TD Waterhouse Canada increased its Meta Platforms position by 4.9% in the third quarter, purchasing 22,743 additional shares for a total of 489,675 shares valued at approximately $355.8 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of Meta’s stock.
• Meta insiders sold 148,331 shares worth about $101.2 million over the past three months, including sizable sales by COO Javier Olivan and Christopher Cox, both conducted under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $811.24. Meta’s latest quarterly revenue rose 28% year over year to $60.8 billion, though earnings per share missed estimates.

TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lifted its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 4.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 489,675 shares of the social networking company's stock after purchasing an additional 22,743 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms accounts for 0.9% of TD Waterhouse Canada Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc.'s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $355,765,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Watchman Group Inc. increased its holdings in Meta Platforms by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Watchman Group Inc. now owns 5,091 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $2,913,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Penney Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. Penney Financial LLC now owns 399 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $228,000 after buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,519 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $869,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. Bill Few Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. now owns 1,206 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $874,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. Finally, CWS Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC now owns 985 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $564,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $728.10, for a total transaction of $688,782.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 6,932 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,047,189.20. This trade represents a 12.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total value of $28,510,400.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 184,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at $131,515,624.16. This represents a 17.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 148,331 shares of company stock worth $101,233,569 in the last three months. Insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $796.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $780.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Arete Research raised their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $735.00 to $806.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $763.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, New Street Research decreased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $730.00 to $700.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 31st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $811.24.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

NASDAQ:META opened at $705.44 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market cap of $1.80 trillion, a PE ratio of 26.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.19. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month high of $779.82. The company's 50-day moving average price is $657.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $627.42.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%. The firm had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $7.14 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a $0.5250 dividend. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is presently 7.91%.

More Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s advertising business is viewed as benefiting from improved ad performance, distribution scale and the company’s ability to monetize its large user base. Strong ad growth could support the bullish case if management also demonstrates disciplined spending. Accelerating Ad Business and Distribution Scale Create Compelling Value at Meta Platforms
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s earnings report is being treated as an important test of investor confidence in the AI trade after a sell-off in semiconductor and other AI-related stocks. Evidence that AI investments are driving advertising, engagement or new products could improve sentiment across the sector. Week Ahead: Meta, Tesla Earnings to Test AI Trade
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta is considered relatively attractively valued versus some social-media peers, including Reddit, but the stock’s premium valuation leaves limited room for an earnings miss. Are You Overpaying for Reddit Stock Versus Its Rivals?
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta’s planned large AI data center in Louisiana could support long-term computing capacity and local hiring, although the project also underscores the company’s substantial capital-expenditure requirements. Louisiana Residents Are Training for Jobs at Meta’s Largest-Ever AI Data Center
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts are highlighting elevated capital expenditures, potential margin pressure and a demanding valuation as key risks ahead of earnings. Any indication that AI spending is accelerating faster than monetization could weigh on the shares. Should You Buy, Sell, or Hold META Stock Before Q3 Earnings Release?
• Negative Sentiment: Meta apologized after suspending the “No Kings” Instagram account, creating a limited reputational and content-moderation overhang. Separately, scrutiny of always-listening AI wearables raises longer-term privacy and legal risks for Meta’s device strategy. Meta Apologizes After Suspending “No Kings” Instagram Account

Meta Platforms Company Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company's principal platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Threads, which enable users to connect, communicate, share content, and discover products and services.

Meta also operates Reality Labs, its division focused on virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies. Reality Labs develops products such as Meta Quest virtual reality headsets and related software and experiences, along with research and hardware intended to support immersive computing.

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