Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Purchased by Rayburn West Financial Services LLC

Key Points

• Rayburn West Financial Services increased its Meta stake by 27.8% in the third quarter, adding 3,131 shares to reach 14,411 shares valued at about $10.45 million. Meta now represents 5.1% of the firm’s portfolio and is its fourth-largest holding.
• Meta reported quarterly EPS of $7.40, beating the $6.54 consensus, while revenue of $64.6 billion also topped estimates and rose 26.1% year over year.
• Analysts maintain a broadly positive view: the stock has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $833.12. Institutional investors own 79.91% of Meta shares.

Rayburn West Financial Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 27.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,411 shares of the social networking company's stock after buying an additional 3,131 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises 5.1% of Rayburn West Financial Services LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Rayburn West Financial Services LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $10,451,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Horizons Wealth Management bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new position in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 116.7% during the 3rd quarter. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. now owns 52 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Axiom Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

META opened at $623.61 on Friday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a one year low of $520.26 and a one year high of $779.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.90. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $679.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $631.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.59 trillion, a P/E ratio of 21.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.28.

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

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

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%.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

These are some of the META news items that stood out recently:

• Positive Sentiment: ETFs bought about $99.7 million of Meta shares on Nov. 10, a sign of institutional fund demand. ETFs Bought $99.7 Million of Meta Platforms
• Neutral Sentiment: Infrastructure chief Santosh Janardhan plans to leave in early 2027, with former AWS executive David Brown set to take over. The handoff is planned, though the leadership change comes as Meta expands its AI computing infrastructure. Meta Head of Infrastructure Will Leave
• Neutral Sentiment: COO Javier Olivan reported stock sales under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Such planned sales are not necessarily a signal about the company’s outlook, but may still draw investor attention. SEC ownership filing

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,196 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total value of $5,063,409.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,186 shares in the company, valued at $7,260,343.46. This trade represents a 41.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total transaction of $4,379,184.00. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 828 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $462,024. This represents a 90.46% 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 have sold a total of 150,973 shares of company stock worth $103,128,307 over the last 90 days. 13.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on META. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $895.00 to $905.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $810.00 to $845.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Phillip Securities upgraded Meta Platforms from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $795.00 to $750.00 in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Monness Crespi & Hardt restated a "buy" rating and issued a $875.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $865.00 to $850.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $833.12.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

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.

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