Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Newly Acquired by Maloon Powers Pitre Higgins & Dennehy LLC

Key Points

• Maloon Powers Pitre Higgins & Dennehy LLC acquired 10,994 Meta shares worth approximately $6.2 million in the second quarter, making META its 12th-largest holding. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 79.91% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive view, with Meta receiving a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $785.90, despite several firms recently lowering targets.
• Meta reported quarterly revenue of $60.80 billion, up 28% year over year, but earnings per share of $6.18 missed estimates. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share, while insiders sold more than $80.8 million of stock over the past 90 days.

Maloon Powers Pitre Higgins & Dennehy LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 10,994 shares of the social networking company's stock, valued at approximately $6,193,000. Meta Platforms comprises approximately 2.1% of Maloon Powers Pitre Higgins & Dennehy LLC's holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of META. Markowski Investments bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,902,000. Old Mission Investment Co LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms in the second quarter worth about $825,000. Montgomery Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at approximately $113,000. OceanIQ Capital LLC acquired a new position in Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at approximately $933,000. Finally, Highland Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at approximately $92,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on META shares. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Meta Platforms from $720.00 to $580.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $725.00 price objective (down from $815.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Tuesday. Wedbush increased their target price on Meta Platforms from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Finally, Moffett Nathanson cut their target price on Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $740.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $785.90.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ META opened at $751.66 on Friday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $779.82. The company has a market cap of $1.91 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.25. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $615.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $613.07. 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 earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). The business had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The firm's revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $7.14 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.93 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.5250 per share. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total value of $2,002,514.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 6,271 shares in the company, valued at $3,875,854.26. This represents a 34.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total transaction of $28,510,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. The trade was a 17.82% 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 123,333 shares of company stock valued at $80,795,845 over the last 90 days. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Muse momentum remains the main bullish catalyst. Early reviews, rising user traction and Meta’s new early-access program for upcoming Muse features are reinforcing expectations that the AI assistant could become a major consumer product and future revenue stream. Meta opens early access program for new Muse features
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are raising price targets. Deutsche Bank, TD Cowen, Canaccord Genuity and other firms lifted targets and maintained bullish ratings, citing Muse’s potential to expand Meta beyond advertising through subscriptions, commerce and AI services. Meta price targets raised as Muse gains momentum
• Positive Sentiment: AI hardware could broaden Muse’s distribution. Meta is integrating Muse into Ray-Ban AI glasses and introducing additional wearable and VR products, creating potential new hardware, services and commerce opportunities.
• Neutral Sentiment: Friday’s decline appears largely technical. After rising roughly 36% during September and approaching a $2 trillion market value, Meta faced profit-taking and a pullback from recent highs. Bullish options activity suggests some traders continue to view the weakness as a buying opportunity.
• Neutral Sentiment: Large capital spending remains a key debate. Investors are encouraged by Meta’s AI strategy but remain uncertain whether heavy spending on infrastructure and Reality Labs will generate sufficient returns.
• Negative Sentiment: New Mexico litigation adds regulatory risk. A jury found that Meta misled state residents in a case related to the Cambridge Analytica data scandal, potentially increasing legal costs and scrutiny. Meta misled consumers in New Mexico jury case
• Negative Sentiment: A Muse security vulnerability was identified. Meta is adding clearer safety warnings after a vulnerability reportedly could expose sensitive user information, raising concerns about trust and adoption of its AI agent. Meta bolsters Muse safety warning after vulnerability
• Negative Sentiment: Competition and monetization obstacles remain. Amazon blocked Muse from accessing its platform, while privacy concerns around camera-equipped glasses and skepticism toward new AI hardware could limit Meta’s growth plans.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling adds a cautionary signal. Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares and COO Javier Olivan sold shares under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans. The transactions do not necessarily indicate reduced confidence, but they add to concerns after the stock’s rapid advance.

Meta Platforms Company 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.

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