Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Bought by Vanguard Group Inc.

Key Points

• Vanguard Group raised its stake in Meta by 3.8% to 199,995,630 shares (adding 7,269,279 shares), representing about a 7.93% ownership of Meta and making it Vanguard’s 8th-largest holding (~1.9% of Vanguard’s portfolio).
• Meta’s Q1 beat (EPS $10.44 vs. $6.67 expected; revenue $56.31B, +33.1% YoY) has driven analyst price-target increases, institutional buying and optimism around ad monetization and its AI product roadmap.
• Offsetting the bullish signals are material risks: ongoing copyright lawsuits over AI training data, EU/US regulatory and antitrust probes, and recent insider selling, which could raise costs or pressure the stock near-term.

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 3.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 199,995,630 shares of the social networking company's stock after buying an additional 7,269,279 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for approximately 1.9% of Vanguard Group Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 7.93% of Meta Platforms worth $132,015,115,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in META. Vista Capital Partners Inc. boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Vista Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,075 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $794,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Sentinel Pension Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Sentinel Pension Advisors LLC now owns 915 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $672,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management now owns 4,301 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $3,159,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 454 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $334,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Forza Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Forza Wealth Management LLC now owns 402 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results and analyst bullishness — Meta’s Q1 beat has prompted price-target lifts and buy reaffirmations (BofA raised its target; other outlets highlight Meta among top earnings-beat winners), supporting the rally on optimism about ad monetization and AI-driven product momentum. Here is Why Meta Platforms (META) is Among the 10 Must-Buy Stocks
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying — Fisher Asset Management added ~75,590 shares, a signal of confidence from a major manager that can support sentiment and reduce downside near-term. Fisher Asset Management Boosts Meta Stake
• Positive Sentiment: Product & AI roadmap — Reports that Meta is building advanced, consumer-facing “agentic” AI assistants and other AI tools reinforce expectations for future ad/product monetization and long-term TAM expansion. Investors often reward visible AI roadmaps despite near-term spending. Meta plans advanced 'agentic' AI assistant
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst price-target tweak — Mizuho trimmed its price target slightly (still an outperform rating), a modest technical adjustment that partly offsets other bullish analyst moves but leaves overall street conviction intact. Mizuho Has Lowered Expectations for Meta Platforms
• Negative Sentiment: Copyright lawsuits — Major publishers have sued Meta alleging unauthorized use of books/journals to train Llama; litigation could lead to damages, higher legal costs, or operational constraints on training data. Publishers sue Meta over AI training
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and legal headwinds — EU probes over algorithmic influence and a California court fight over alleged social-media harm, plus EU antitrust pressure on WhatsApp access, raise uncertainty and potential compliance costs. Meta asks judge to throw out landmark verdict
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — COO Javier Olivan sold shares under a 10b5‑1 plan; while pre-arranged, repeated insider sales get noticed and can add short-term pressure. SEC filing: Insider sale

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ META opened at $612.88 on Thursday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a twelve month low of $520.26 and a twelve month high of $796.25. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $628.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $646.01. The company has a market capitalization of $1.55 trillion, a PE ratio of 22.28, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 2.35, a current ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.67 by $3.77. The company had revenue of $56.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $55.56 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 32.84% and a return on equity of 36.93%. Meta Platforms's revenue was up 33.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.43 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 30.03 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th were issued a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is 7.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 926 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $607.74, for a total value of $562,767.24. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 7,779 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,727,609.46. The trade was a 10.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $667.00, for a total transaction of $386,860.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 3,847 shares in the company, valued at $2,565,949. This trade represents a 13.10% 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 a total of 168,193 shares of company stock worth $107,642,717 in the last ninety days. 13.61% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

META has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citizens Jmp reiterated a "market outperform" rating and set a $900.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $900.00 price target on Meta Platforms in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Barclays lifted their price target on Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $830.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Meta Platforms from $805.00 to $780.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Meta Platforms from $880.00 to $920.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $840.31.

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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