Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Purchased by BOCHK Asset Management Ltd

Key Points

• BOCHK Asset Management increased its Meta stake 6.5% in the third quarter, adding 1,410 shares to reach 22,960 shares valued at about $16.65 million.
• Other major investors also expanded positions, and institutional investors collectively own about 79.9% of Meta’s shares.
• Meta beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting $7.40 in EPS and $64.6 billion in revenue; analysts’ consensus rating is “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $833.12.

BOCHK Asset Management Ltd grew its holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 6.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 22,960 shares of the social networking company's stock after buying an additional 1,410 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms accounts for approximately 2.3% of BOCHK Asset Management Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. BOCHK Asset Management Ltd's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $16,650,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Corient Private Wealth LP raised its position in Meta Platforms by 723.1% in the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 8,801,764 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $4,957,946,000 after purchasing an additional 7,732,446 shares in the last quarter. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth about $2,948,486,000. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 4.0% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 92,033,963 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $51,841,811,000 after purchasing an additional 3,510,123 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 14.6% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,038,035 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $12,036,491,000 after purchasing an additional 2,673,494 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 18.1% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 11,858,972 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $6,784,873,000 after purchasing an additional 1,815,017 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta launched Spaces, a collaboration feature for its Muse AI agents, following the rollout of Muse Voice. The new offerings may help strengthen user engagement and expand Meta’s consumer AI ecosystem. Meta introduces Spaces
• Positive Sentiment: Recent earnings commentary points to AI supporting Meta’s advertising operations, reinforcing the potential for the company’s AI investments to generate revenue. Takeaways from recent earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta paused planned updates to its terms and is keeping existing rules in place. The move avoids an immediate policy change, though the underlying issues remain unresolved. Meta pauses planned terms updates
• Neutral Sentiment: Plans for new nonvoting Class C shares have been described as effectively creating a 2-for-1 split. A split changes the number of shares, but does not by itself change the company’s underlying value; the structure preserves Mark Zuckerberg’s voting control. Is Meta Platforms next for a stock split?
• Negative Sentiment: Meta and other platforms sued to block California restrictions on social-media features for users under 16. The case adds regulatory uncertainty and potential legal costs. Platforms sue over California teen social-media law
• Negative Sentiment: Meta warned that political backlash and possible limits on data-center construction could complicate its AI expansion. Its $15 billion senior-notes offering also highlights the scale of financing required for investment. Data-center expansion concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Reported ETF net selling and insider share sales may add short-term pressure, although the disclosed insider transaction was made under a pre-arranged trading plan. ETFs are net sellers of Meta Platforms

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on META. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Meta Platforms from $1,000.00 to $995.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Wedbush raised their target price on Meta Platforms from $700.00 to $730.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $600.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $800.00 target price (down from $850.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Moffett Nathanson cut their price target on Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $740.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Meta Platforms presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $833.12.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Meta Platforms stock opened at $610.15 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $520.26 and a 1 year high of $779.82. The company has a market cap of $1.56 trillion, a PE ratio of 20.80, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.28. The company's 50-day moving average is $674.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $632.16.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.86. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 31.15% and a return on equity of 30.73%. The company had revenue of $64.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.34 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $7.25 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Meta Platforms news, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 6,271 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,875,854.26. This trade represents a 34.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Susan Li sold 9,196 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total transaction of $5,063,409.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,186 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,260,343.46. This represents a 41.09% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 151,090 shares of company stock valued at $103,150,807 over the last three months. 13.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc is a global technology company that develops social networking, messaging, and digital communication products. Its services include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Threads, which connect people and help businesses reach audiences around the world.

The company also develops virtual and augmented reality products and technologies through its Reality Labs division, including Quest headsets and related software and services. Advertising is a central part of Meta's business, with its platforms providing tools for businesses to promote products and services.

Founded in 2004 as Facebook by Mark Zuckerberg and fellow students, the company changed its name to Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect its broader focus on building social technologies and immersive digital experiences.

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