Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Acquired by Westover Capital Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Westover Capital Advisors increased its Meta Platforms stake by 12.6% in the fourth quarter, buying 1,018 more shares and bringing its total to 9,083 shares worth about $6.0 million.
• Meta reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $10.44 topping estimates and revenue of $56.31 billion, up 33.1% year over year.
• The stock is near recent highs, and sentiment remains mixed-to-bullish: Meta announced a small dividend, several analysts reiterated or raised ratings, while insiders have also been selling shares under pre-arranged trading plans.

Westover Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 12.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,083 shares of the social networking company's stock after buying an additional 1,018 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms makes up about 1.1% of Westover Capital Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Westover Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $5,996,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. First National Bank Sioux Falls increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. First National Bank Sioux Falls now owns 2,001 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $1,321,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Levin Capital Strategies L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Levin Capital Strategies L.P. now owns 984 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $649,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the period. Vista Capital Partners Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the second quarter. Vista Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,075 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $794,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Arcataur Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Arcataur Capital Management LLC now owns 1,736 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $1,146,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. Finally, Acorn Creek Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Acorn Creek Capital LLC now owns 2,118 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $1,398,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In related news, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,195 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $607.84, for a total transaction of $5,589,088.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 13,186 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,014,978.24. The trade was a 41.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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, COO Javier Olivan sold 837 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $629.29, for a total value of $526,715.73. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 12,986 shares in the company, valued at $8,171,959.94. This trade represents a 6.06% 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. Over the last three months, insiders sold 42,860 shares of company stock valued at $26,555,260. 13.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Meta Platforms Stock Up 4.2%

Shares of Meta Platforms stock opened at $622.98 on Thursday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $796.25. The company has a quick ratio of 2.35, a current ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $618.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $636.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.58 trillion, a P/E ratio of 22.65, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.23.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.56 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $6.43 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 33.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is currently 7.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on META. Raymond James Financial upgraded Meta Platforms from an "underperform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Meta Platforms from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. Barclays lifted their target price on Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Piper Sandler began coverage on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Tuesday. They issued an "overweight" rating on the stock. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday. They set an "outperform" rating on the stock. Three research 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 given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $840.60.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta is pushing deeper into enterprise AI with a new Meta Business Agent for WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram, aimed at helping companies handle customer inquiries, recommendations, and bookings. Investors may see this as a new revenue stream beyond ads. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Meta also won a legal boost in Europe, with courts backing parts of its challenge to EU tech rules tied to Facebook Marketplace. That reduces some regulatory pressure and removes a potential overhang. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts remain constructive, with one firm upgrading Meta to strong-buy and others reiterating bullish views after the company’s commerce expansion and AI push. Finviz reference
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta is being highlighted in broader AI-stock coverage as a cheaper-looking way to play the AI boom, which may keep buying interest elevated but is not a company-specific catalyst. Article reference
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta’s shares also received attention after a notable insider sale by the COO and a director, though the trades were made under pre-arranged plans and do not necessarily signal a change in fundamentals. SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: Meta’s AI rollout has reportedly been delayed again, with the Muse Spark developer API still without a launch date. That raises concerns about how quickly Meta can monetize its heavy AI investment. Reuters article
• Negative Sentiment: A high-profile security lapse involving Meta’s AI chatbot, which was tricked into helping attackers access Instagram accounts, spotlighted risks around automation and could weigh on investor confidence. Reuters article
• Negative Sentiment: Meta is also fighting Australia’s proposed news-payment rules, a policy dispute that could create additional legal and regulatory uncertainty. Reuters article

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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