Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Bought by Schroder Investment Management Group

Key Points

• Schroder Investment Management Group increased its stake in Meta by 9.1% in Q3, buying 438,572 shares to hold 5,276,635 shares worth about $3.88 billion, making META its 5th largest holding (Meta is ~3.0% of Schroder's portfolio) and institutional investors own roughly 79.9% of the stock.
• Significant insider selling has occurred recently: CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 8,089 shares and COO Javier Olivan sold 926 shares, with insiders disposing of 161,446 shares totaling about $103.45 million over the last three months (insiders still own 13.61% of Meta).
• Solid quarter and shareholder return: Meta beat Q-quarter estimates (EPS $8.88 vs. $8.16; revenue $59.89B), has a $1.61T market cap, announced a $0.525 quarterly dividend (ex-dividend March 16, payable March 26), and holds a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $844.44.

Schroder Investment Management Group lifted its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 9.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,276,635 shares of the social networking company's stock after acquiring an additional 438,572 shares during the period. Meta Platforms comprises approximately 3.0% of Schroder Investment Management Group's holdings, making the stock its 5th largest position. Schroder Investment Management Group owned approximately 0.21% of Meta Platforms worth $3,875,055,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $23,155,393,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 73,443.1% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,417,003 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $6,212,506,000 after acquiring an additional 8,405,558 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 86,925,674 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $64,158,971,000 after purchasing an additional 1,650,435 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 192,591,101 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $142,149,566,000 after purchasing an additional 1,532,568 shares during the period. Finally, Concentrum Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 948.7% in the third quarter. Concentrum Wealth Management now owns 1,243,577 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $913,000 after buying an additional 1,124,998 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 8,089 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $631.24, for a total value of $5,106,100.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 2,841 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,793,352.84. This trade represents a 74.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 926 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $634.94, for a total transaction of $587,954.44. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 15,187 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,642,833.78. This trade represents a 5.75% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 161,446 shares of company stock worth $103,451,688 in the last three months. Insiders own 13.61% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Stock Down 2.5%

META opened at $638.18 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.61 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.16, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 2.60 and a current ratio of 2.60. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $653.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $678.88. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a twelve month low of $479.80 and a twelve month high of $796.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.16 by $0.72. The firm had revenue of $59.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $58.33 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 30.08% and a return on equity of 38.61%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 23.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $8.02 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is presently 8.94%.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta unveiled a roadmap for four new in‑house AI chips (MTIA 300/400/450/500) aimed at inference workloads and faster iterative deployments — a long‑term win for gross‑margin control and scalability if Meta can reduce third‑party hardware spend. Meta Chip Roadmap Puts AI Inference And Costs In Sharper Focus
• Positive Sentiment: Facebook Marketplace rolled out Meta AI features that auto‑write listings and suggest prices — these product improvements can increase seller throughput and ad/commerce monetization. Meta AI Writes Listings and Sets Prices for Facebook Marketplace Sellers
• Positive Sentiment: Meta expanded AI‑driven scam detection across Facebook, WhatsApp and Messenger, which helps reduce fraud liability and could improve user trust and engagement. Meta Rolls Out New Scam Alerts Across Facebook, WhatsApp, and Messenger
• Positive Sentiment: Investor endorsement: Michael Cuggino cited Meta as an AI pick for its cost discipline — a vote of confidence that may support long‑term investor sentiment. Cuggino likes Meta for cost discipline
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts at Evercore flagged that large internet names (including Meta) may be oversold amid AI/geopolitical worries — this could imply a rebound if sentiment stabilizes. Amazon, Uber, and Other Internet Stocks Look Too Cheap After AI and Iran Worries
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta acquired Moltbook, a niche social network for AI agents — strategically relevant for agent research but commercially unproven; more of a signal on R&D direction than immediate revenue impact. Meta to acquire Moltbook, the social network for AI agents
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: COO Javier Olivan reduced holdings in recent SEC filings — such sizable insider disposals can spook short‑term investors even if routine. Insider sale filing
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory risk: UK regulators and lawmakers are pressing big tech (including Meta) to do more to keep children off platforms — potential for stricter rules or compliance costs in key markets. UK watchdogs press Meta, TikTok, Snap and YouTube to block children
• Negative Sentiment: Public skepticism on costs: Commentary (e.g., Jim Cramer) asking why Meta retains ~78k employees if AI boosts productivity raises investor questions about future headcount, restructuring and near‑term cost cuts. Cramer: Why does Meta need 78,000 employees if AI makes them 10x more productive?
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction note: coverage flagged that Meta fell more than the broader market on the latest session — signaling profit‑taking or short‑term risk aversion despite the strategic positives. Here's Why Meta Platforms (META) Fell More Than Broader Market

Analysts Set New Price Targets

META has been the topic of several analyst reports. Argus reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $800.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $785.00 to $820.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Arete Research reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Wolfe Research restated an "outperform" rating and set a $850.00 price target (up from $800.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $844.44.

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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