Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Bought by Theleme Partners LLP

Key Points

• Theleme Partners increased its Meta stake by 1.9% in the second quarter, acquiring 8,375 shares to hold 459,450 shares valued at approximately $258.8 million. Meta now represents 15.4% of the firm’s portfolio and is its second-largest holding.
• Other institutional investors also added to Meta, including OMERS Administration, which increased its position by 123.2%; institutions collectively own 79.91% of the stock.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with Meta carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $788.88. The stock opened at $682.31, while quarterly revenue rose 28% year over year to $60.8 billion despite an EPS miss.

Theleme Partners LLP lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 459,450 shares of the social networking company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,375 shares during the period. Meta Platforms comprises approximately 15.4% of Theleme Partners LLP's holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Theleme Partners LLP's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $258,804,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in META. Meritage Group LP bought a new position in Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth $161,321,000. Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,977 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $2,803,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the period. Satovsky Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. Satovsky Asset Management LLC now owns 1,545 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $870,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 123.2% in the 2nd quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 710,539 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $400,240,000 after purchasing an additional 392,172 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covington Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 14.7% in the 2nd quarter. Covington Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 23,911 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $13,469,000 after purchasing an additional 3,060 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America maintained a Buy view, estimating Meta could save approximately $8.5 billion in 2027 by shifting AI workloads to its in-house MTIA chips. Meta reportedly plans to deploy newer chips in 2027, potentially reducing dependence on Nvidia and improving AI margins. Meta Can Save $8.5 Billion in 2027 by Using Its Own MTIA Chips
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s Muse AI agent and the new Meta One subscription are strengthening the investment case that the company can diversify beyond advertising. Meta One combines higher AI usage limits and features across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, creating a potential recurring-revenue stream. Meta Platforms: Get In Before September 23
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism remains a near-term catalyst. Citi identified Meta Connect on September 23 as a possible trigger for additional product announcements and investor enthusiasm, while Rosenblatt reiterated a Buy rating with an $886 price target. Meta Event Next Week Could Spark Stock Gains, Says Citi
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta is expanding Muse’s capabilities, including phone calls, as it competes with emerging AI-agent providers. The move could improve user engagement and monetization, but competition and the execution required to turn usage into paid revenue remain significant. Rival AI Agents and Meta’s Muse Add Calling
• Negative Sentiment: A German court ruled Meta liable for fraudulent third-party advertisements on Facebook and Instagram, ordering the company to remove such content and pay damages. The decision could increase legal costs and raise concerns about platform-monitoring obligations. German Court Rules Meta Liable for Fake Ads
• Negative Sentiment: Consumer advocate Clark Howard said Meta declined to remove a deepfake advertisement using his likeness. The episode adds reputational and regulatory risk as Meta attempts to control AI-generated scams and fraudulent advertising. Facebook Told Clark Howard a Deepfake Ad Meets Its Standards
• Negative Sentiment: Chief Product Officer Christopher Cox sold 20,000 Meta shares worth about $13.5 million. The transaction was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, which reduces its signaling value, but insider selling can still weigh modestly on sentiment. SEC Insider Trading Filing

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Monness Crespi & Hardt reduced their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $890.00 to $730.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $780.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Mizuho set a $750.00 price objective on Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Citizens Jmp lowered their target price on Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $770.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $788.88.

Meta Platforms Stock Up 1.3%

Meta Platforms stock opened at $682.31 on Friday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $520.26 and a 52 week high of $790.80. The stock has a market cap of $1.74 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.70, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.25. The company's 50-day moving average price is $606.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $609.40. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $7.14 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.91%.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 3,348 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $600.97, for a total value of $2,012,047.56. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 9,498 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,708,013.06. The trade was a 26.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher Cox sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $650.28, for a total value of $13,005,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 244,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $159,003,864.48. This trade represents a 7.56% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 81,758 shares of company stock worth $51,214,020 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc develops technologies that help people connect, communicate and build communities online. The company's principal products include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and digital communication.

Meta generates most of its business through advertising displayed across its family of apps. It also develops artificial intelligence technologies, business messaging tools and hardware and software through its Reality Labs division, including Quest virtual- and mixed-reality devices and related experiences.

The company was founded as Facebook in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and was renamed Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect its broader focus on building the metaverse.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding META? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.