Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Acquired by Davis Rea LTD.

Key Points

• Davis Rea LTD. increased its Meta Platforms stake by 2.4% in the third quarter, acquiring 980 additional shares for a total of 41,010 shares valued at approximately $29.7 million.
• Institutional investors own approximately 79.91% of Meta’s outstanding stock, with several major firms—including Auto Owners Insurance, Corient Private Wealth and State Street—recently increasing their positions.
• Meta shares opened at $762.50, near their 12-month high, while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $796.51; the company also reported 28% year-over-year quarterly revenue growth despite missing EPS expectations.

Davis Rea LTD. increased its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 41,010 shares of the social networking company's stock after acquiring an additional 980 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises approximately 8.5% of Davis Rea LTD.'s holdings, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Davis Rea LTD.'s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $29,740,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Auto Owners Insurance Co lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 76,587.7% in the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 105,292,277 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $69,502,379,000 after purchasing an additional 105,154,977 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 723.1% in the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 8,801,764 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $4,957,946,000 after purchasing an additional 7,732,446 shares during the period. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,948,486,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 488.1% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,466,595 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $3,608,445,000 after purchasing an additional 4,537,076 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 92,033,963 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $51,841,811,000 after buying an additional 3,510,123 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

META stock opened at $762.50 on Wednesday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month high of $779.82. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $647.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $622.44. The stock has a market cap of $1.94 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.19.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. 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 company posted $7.14 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

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

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In other news, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,196 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total value of $5,063,409.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,186 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,260,343.46. This represents a 41.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 40,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 21st. The stock was 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 148,222 shares of company stock valued at $101,033,627. 13.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

META has been the subject of a number of research reports. Benchmark restated a "hold" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. UBS Group reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, August 27th. China Renaissance decreased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $700.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $930.00 to $950.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, September 25th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $796.51.

About Meta Platforms

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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