Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Has $21 Million Position in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. by 12.2%, owning 36,441 shares valued at approximately $21 million, making it the fund's 21st largest holding.
• Meta's most recent earnings report showed an EPS of $7.14, significantly beating analyst expectations of $5.75, with revenue reaching $47.52 billion, up 21.6% year-over-year.
• The stock's analyst ratings reflect positive sentiment, with a consensus of 39 "Buy" ratings, 5 "Hold" ratings, and a price target range going up to $920.00 from several firms.

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC grew its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 12.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 36,441 shares of the social networking company's stock after buying an additional 3,955 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms makes up approximately 0.8% of Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $21,003,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in META. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 67,172.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 23,452,665 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $13,517,178,000 after buying an additional 23,417,803 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 17,669,795 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $10,184,163,000 after acquiring an additional 400,927 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 8.8% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 15,575,962 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $8,977,361,000 after acquiring an additional 1,255,546 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 12,007,308 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $7,030,399,000 after purchasing an additional 280,357 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 2.5% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,041,171 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $5,787,329,000 after purchasing an additional 247,850 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:META traded up $13.40 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $765.70. 10,590,497 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,781,403. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $738.68 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $659.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.92 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.24. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $479.80 and a 12 month high of $796.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a current ratio of 1.97.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The social networking company reported $7.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.75 by $1.39. The firm had revenue of $47.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $44.55 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 39.99% and a return on equity of 39.33%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 21.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $5.16 EPS. Meta Platforms has set its Q3 2025 guidance at EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on META. JMP Securities increased their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $783.00 to $811.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Needham & Company LLC upgraded shares of Meta Platforms from an "underperform" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 3rd. Roth Capital increased their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $620.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $640.00 to $810.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $822.41.

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 60,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $775.95, for a total value of $46,557,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 237,205 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $184,059,219.75. This represents a 20.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 15,847 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $753.43, for a total value of $11,939,605.21. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 290,046 shares of company stock valued at $218,812,787. 13.61% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc engages in the development of products that enable people to connect and share with friends and family through mobile devices, personal computers, virtual reality headsets, and wearables worldwide. It operates in two segments, Family of Apps and Reality Labs. The Family of Apps segment offers Facebook, which enables people to share, discuss, discover, and connect with interests; Instagram, a community for sharing photos, videos, and private messages, as well as feed, stories, reels, video, live, and shops; Messenger, a messaging application for people to connect with friends, family, communities, and businesses across platforms and devices through text, audio, and video calls; and WhatsApp, a messaging application that is used by people and businesses to communicate and transact privately.