Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Position Lessened by Greenleaf Trust

Key Points

• Greenleaf Trust reduced its Meta stake by 2.5% in the third quarter, selling 2,712 shares; it still held 104,158 shares valued at about $75.5 million.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with Meta carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $833.12.
• Meta beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting $7.40 per share and $64.6 billion in revenue; revenue increased 26.1% year over year.

Greenleaf Trust trimmed its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 2.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 104,158 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 2,712 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms makes up 0.8% of Greenleaf Trust's holdings, making the stock its 18th largest position. Greenleaf Trust's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $75,533,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bill Few Associates Inc. raised its position in Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. now owns 1,206 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $874,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.8% in the third quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 866 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $630,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.7% during the first quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC now owns 985 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $564,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Tenzing Financial LLC increased its position in Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the second quarter. Tenzing Financial LLC now owns 1,210 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $726,000 after buying an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Uptown Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the second quarter. Uptown Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,273 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $717,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on META. Citizens Jmp reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and issued a $885.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Arete Research raised their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $735.00 to $806.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. Susquehanna lifted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $650.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, Citic Securities cut their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $718.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $833.12.

Key Meta Platforms News

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $614.15, for a total transaction of $580,985.90. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 4,094 shares in the company, valued at $2,514,330.10. The trade was a 18.77% 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. Insiders have sold a total of 151,090 shares of company stock valued at $103,150,807 over the last quarter. Insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

META opened at $610.15 on Friday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $674.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $632.16. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $1.56 trillion, a PE ratio of 20.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.28. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $520.26 and a 1 year high of $779.82.

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

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

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

Meta Platforms Company Profile

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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