Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Acquired by Thames Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Thames Capital Management boosted its Meta Platforms stake by 23% in the fourth quarter, adding 6,305 shares to reach 33,767 shares valued at about $22.3 million.
• Meta reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $10.44 versus estimates of $6.67 and revenue of $56.31 billion, up 33.1% year over year.
• The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share, while analysts maintain a Moderate Buy rating with an average price target of $840.60.

Thames Capital Management LLC grew its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 23.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 33,767 shares of the social networking company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,305 shares during the period. Meta Platforms comprises approximately 3.2% of Thames Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Thames Capital Management LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $22,289,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of META. Westchester Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the third quarter worth about $26,000. RHL Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Key Capital Management INC acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter worth about $48,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of NASDAQ META opened at $585.39 on Tuesday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $796.25. The stock has a market cap of $1.48 trillion, a PE ratio of 21.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a current ratio of 2.35, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The company has a 50-day moving average of $619.59 and a 200 day moving average of $636.72.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.67 by $3.77. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 32.84% and a return on equity of 36.93%. The company had revenue of $56.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $55.56 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.43 EPS. Meta Platforms's revenue was up 33.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio is currently 7.63%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

META has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Susquehanna upgraded shares of Meta Platforms from a "positive" rating to a "positive" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $835.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $800.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Wolfe Research cut their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $800.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $805.00 to $780.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $840.60.

Meta Platforms News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta announced a partnership with Associated Builders and Contractors to launch a $115 million workforce academy that will train construction technicians for its data center projects, helping address labor shortages and supporting its AI infrastructure expansion. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Italy’s competition regulator dropped its investigation into Meta’s WhatsApp AI bot, removing a legal overhang tied to how the company integrates AI into WhatsApp. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Meta also partnered with Best Buy to create “Meta Lab” experiential spaces where shoppers can test VR headsets and AI glasses, which could help boost hardware awareness and adoption. Article Title

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In related news, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,195 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $607.84, for a total transaction of $5,589,088.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 13,186 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,014,978.24. This represents a 41.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 504 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $629.29, for a total transaction of $317,162.16. Following the sale, the director directly owned 3,943 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,481,290.47. This represents a 11.33% decrease in their position. 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 have sold 41,305 shares of company stock worth $25,567,928 in the last 90 days. 13.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Meta Platforms

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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