Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Position Lifted by Signal Advisors Wealth LLC

Key Points

• Signal Advisors Wealth LLC increased its Meta Platforms position by 10.8% in the third quarter to 22,186 shares valued at approximately $16.1 million. Institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of Meta’s stock.
• Meta insiders sold 148,222 shares worth roughly $101 million over the past three months, including sales by CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Javier Olivan under pre-arranged trading plans.
• Meta shares opened at $762.50, near their 52-week high, while analysts maintained an overall “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $796.51. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share, yielding about 0.3%.

Signal Advisors Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 10.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,186 shares of the social networking company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,154 shares during the quarter. Signal Advisors Wealth LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $16,089,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Copeland Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $234,000. Foster Group Inc. boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Foster Group Inc. now owns 9,568 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $6,939,000 after buying an additional 409 shares during the period. Krilogy Financial LLC boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC now owns 30,194 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $22,433,000 after buying an additional 1,969 shares during the period. Walker Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Walker Asset Management LLC now owns 608 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $441,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Affinity Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 13.2% during the 3rd quarter. Affinity Capital Advisors LLC now owns 8,014 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $5,759,000 after acquiring an additional 934 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Monday, October 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $728.08, for a total transaction of $688,763.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 7,878 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,735,814.24. This trade represents a 10.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total transaction of $21,359,386.56. 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 sold a total of 148,222 shares of company stock worth $101,033,627 over the last three months. 13.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of META stock opened at $762.50 on Wednesday. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $647.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $622.44. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a one year low of $520.26 and a one year high of $779.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.94 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.72, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.23 and a quick ratio of 2.23.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share (EPS) 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 the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $7.14 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

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

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta introduced Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full, frontier AI models designed for complex, multi-step personal and professional tasks. The launch supports the view that Meta is catching up with OpenAI and Anthropic while creating potential subscription and advertising opportunities. Meta Platforms Introduces AI Tools to Fine-Tune Facebook Algorithms
• Positive Sentiment: Third-party app data reportedly showed strong early retention for Meta’s standalone Muse assistant, helping ease concerns about slowing downloads and reinforcing expectations that the company’s AI investments can improve engagement and monetization. Why Meta Stock Is Up Today
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street support strengthened, with Truist assigning a $1,000 price target and KeyCorp and Rosenblatt reaffirming bullish ratings with targets of $900 and $886, respectively. Analysts cited Muse adoption and AI-driven advertising improvements as catalysts. Social Media Stocks Rally as Truist Sets $1,000 Meta Target
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s partnership with Virtuix expanded, with Omni One orders reportedly tripling year over year after becoming available for Meta Quest. The development provides modest support for demand across Meta’s virtual-reality ecosystem. Virtuix Deepens Meta Partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: Facebook is giving users more control over feed-ranking algorithms. The move may improve user trust and engagement, although greater personalization controls could affect content distribution and ad performance. Facebook Gives Users More Algorithm Control
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain cautious about Meta’s premium valuation and substantial AI spending, with planned capital expenditures reportedly reaching $130 billion to $145 billion. Third-quarter results, scheduled for October 21, will be important for validating AI monetization and revenue guidance. Meta Q3 Preview

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on META. New Street Research decreased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $730.00 to $700.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 31st. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $865.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Roth Capital cut their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price objective 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $796.51.

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 operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.

Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.

Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.

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