Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Purchased by Fulton Bank N.A.

Fulton Bank N.A. boosted its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 3.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 44,605 shares of the social networking company's stock after buying an additional 1,478 shares during the period. Meta Platforms makes up approximately 0.9% of Fulton Bank N.A.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Fulton Bank N.A.'s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $25,520,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. RHL Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Niles Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Bayban lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 100.0% in the 1st quarter. Bayban now owns 70 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on META. Truist Financial dropped their target price on Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $840.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Roth Mkm reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Wedbush upgraded shares of Meta Platforms from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. UBS Group downgraded shares of Meta Platforms from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set an "outperform" rating for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $840.64.

Meta Platforms Stock Up 3.0%

Shares of Meta Platforms stock opened at $600.29 on Tuesday. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $520.26 and a 52-week high of $796.25. The company has a market capitalization of $1.52 trillion, a P/E ratio of 21.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a 50 day moving average of $601.61 and a 200 day moving average of $627.66.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.67 by $3.77. The company had revenue of $56.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.56 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 32.84% and a return on equity of 36.93%. The firm's revenue was up 33.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $6.43 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 25th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio is currently 7.63%.

Key Stories Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Several articles highlighted Meta’s expanding AI and cloud ambitions, including a potential move into the “neocloud” business by renting out excess computing capacity. Supporters argue this could open a new revenue stream and turn heavy AI spending into a long-term advantage.
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary also pointed to Meta’s strong core business, with recent revenue growth and high operating margins reinforcing the case that the company can fund large AI investments while still producing substantial cash flow.
• Neutral Sentiment: One report noted a director sold 500 shares under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan. Because the sale was scheduled in advance, it is unlikely to signal a meaningful change in insider sentiment.
• Negative Sentiment: Meta disclosed that four U.S. states are seeking $1.4 trillion in penalties in an upcoming August youth-safety trial over allegations that Facebook and Instagram were designed to be addictive for young users and that the company misled the public about safety. The eye-popping figure raises legal risk and reputational concerns.
• Negative Sentiment: Additional reports said India ordered Meta to remove child abuse-related content and ads from Instagram, adding to regulatory pressure and underscoring ongoing moderation and safety concerns across key markets.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,195 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $607.84, for a total value of $5,589,088.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,186 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,014,978.24. This trade represents a 41.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Curtis J. Mahoney sold 2,079 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $609.92, for a total value of $1,268,023.68. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 1,118 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $681,890.56. This trade represents a 65.03% 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 39,513 shares of company stock valued at $24,419,874. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

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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