Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Newly Acquired by Hosking Partners LLP

Key Points

• Hosking Partners acquired a new Meta stake of 30,225 shares valued at approximately $21.9 million in the third quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of Meta’s outstanding shares.
• Meta reported strong quarterly results, with revenue rising 26% year over year to $64.6 billion and EPS of $7.40, beating analyst expectations. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $833.12 price target, although investors face concerns over accelerating AI capital spending, negative free cash flow and ongoing legal and regulatory risks.

Hosking Partners LLP bought a new stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 30,225 shares of the social networking company's stock, valued at approximately $21,919,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in META. Element Pointe Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.0% during the third quarter. Element Pointe Advisors LLC now owns 3,303 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $2,395,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Centennial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $214,000. Ellis Investment Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. Ellis Investment Partners LLC now owns 3,197 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $2,319,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the period. Sawyer & Company Inc bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $6,428,000. Finally, TradeWell Securities LLC. raised its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. TradeWell Securities LLC. now owns 17,009 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $12,334,000 after buying an additional 488 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Meta Platforms news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total transaction of $21,359,386.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 40,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total value of $28,510,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 184,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. The trade was a 17.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 148,440 shares of company stock worth $101,456,300. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

NASDAQ META opened at $642.62 on Monday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month high of $779.82. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $664.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $630.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The company has a market capitalization of $1.64 trillion, a PE ratio of 21.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.19.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.86. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 30.73% and a net margin of 31.15%. The firm had revenue of $64.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $63.34 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $7.25 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 26.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.86 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a $0.5250 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

META has been the subject of several analyst reports. New Street Research cut their target price on Meta Platforms from $730.00 to $700.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $885.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday. Arete Research upped their price target on Meta Platforms from $735.00 to $806.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. China Renaissance dropped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $700.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Citic Securities cut their price objective on Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $718.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $833.12.

More Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q3 operating performance: Meta reported $64.6 billion in revenue, up 26% year over year, and adjusted earnings of $7.40 per share versus expectations of roughly $6.54. AI-driven recommendations and advertising tools are improving engagement, ad pricing and conversions. META Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Muse adoption supports the AI thesis: Meta’s Muse AI agent has surpassed 10 million downloads, strengthening the case that the company could eventually monetize AI through subscriptions, enterprise services and additional advertising. However, meaningful revenue contribution is expected later, potentially from 2027 onward. Meta Muse Adoption
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly constructive: UBS, Citigroup, Mizuho, JPMorgan, Bank of America and other firms raised or reaffirmed bullish ratings and price targets, citing resilient advertising growth and long-term AI potential. Some investors, including commentator Mike Khouw, view the selloff as a buying opportunity. Why Mike Khouw Is Buying Meta
• Neutral Sentiment: New Class C shares and a 2-for-1 split: Meta plans to issue one non-voting Class C share for each Class A and Class B share. The move should improve trading liquidity and give Mark Zuckerberg greater flexibility to sell shares or finance AI investment without surrendering voting control, but it does not by itself create economic value for shareholders. Meta’s New Non-Voting Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: Commercial terms delayed: Meta postponed controversial terms that publishers and advertisers said could authorize broader web scraping, moving implementation to November 20 from October 30. The delay may reduce near-term friction, though the underlying regulatory and customer concerns remain. Meta Delays Commercial Terms
• Negative Sentiment: AI spending is the main pressure: Meta lifted the lower end of its 2026 capital-expenditure forecast to $135 billion, with spending potentially reaching $145 billion. Free cash flow turned negative as infrastructure investment accelerated, while credit-default-swap costs reached records. Investors are questioning when Muse and other AI projects will generate returns. Meta AI Spending and Free Cash Flow
• Negative Sentiment: Legal and regulatory risks remain significant: Meta faces a $25 billion New Mexico privacy judgment, additional lawsuits alleging harm to children and scam advertising, and rising legal costs. The company plans to appeal the New Mexico ruling, but the liabilities add uncertainty and pressure margins. Meta New Mexico Privacy Judgment

Meta Platforms Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company's principal platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Threads, which enable users to connect, communicate, share content, and discover products and services.

Meta also operates Reality Labs, its division focused on virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies. Reality Labs develops products such as Meta Quest virtual reality headsets and related software and experiences, along with research and hardware intended to support immersive computing.

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