Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Newly Bought by Advisory Solutions Group LLC

Key Points

• Advisory Solutions Group LLC bought 1,515 Meta shares worth approximately $853,000 during the second quarter. Institutional investors collectively own about 79.91% of Meta’s outstanding stock.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $785.90, despite some firms lowering their targets.
• Meta reported quarterly revenue of $60.80 billion, up 28% year over year, but earnings of $6.18 per share missed estimates. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share, representing a 0.3% annualized yield.

Advisory Solutions Group LLC purchased a new position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,515 shares of the social networking company's stock, valued at approximately $853,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in META. Rose Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,106,000. Schuylkill Financial LLC purchased a new position in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. NI Acquisitions Company LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $339,000. NBH Bank bought a new position in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,803,000. Finally, AlphaGrep UK Ltd boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. AlphaGrep UK Ltd now owns 3,652 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $2,057,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $800.00 price target (down from $850.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $930.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $725.00 target price (down from $815.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. DZ Bank restated a "buy" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Citizens Jmp raised their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $885.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a report on Thursday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $785.90.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ META opened at $751.66 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $615.16 and a 200 day 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. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.91 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.25. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $779.82.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%.The business had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $7.14 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be given a $0.5250 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio is presently 7.91%.

Key Meta Platforms News

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.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In related news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total value of $4,379,184.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 828 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $462,024. This represents a 90.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total transaction of $2,002,514.40. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 6,271 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,875,854.26. The trade was a 34.07% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 123,333 shares of company stock worth $80,795,845 in the last quarter. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.

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