Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Purchased by Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA

Key Points

• Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA increased its Meta stake by 4.2% in the second quarter, purchasing 11,569 additional shares for a total of 286,906 shares valued at approximately $164.7 million. Institutional investors collectively own about 79.9% of Meta’s stock.
• Meta shares opened at $543.82, down 4.4%, after the company reported quarterly EPS of $6.18—below the $7.19 consensus estimate—despite revenue of $60.8 billion, up 28% year over year.
• Analysts maintain a broadly positive outlook, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and average price target of $785.32, but investors face risks from the federal child-safety trial, heavy AI infrastructure spending, margin pressure and potential regulatory penalties.

Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA boosted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 4.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 286,906 shares of the social networking company's stock after acquiring an additional 11,569 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises 2.0% of Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA's holdings, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $164,719,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in META. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 199,995,630 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $132,015,115,000 after buying an additional 7,269,279 shares during the period. Auto Owners Insurance Co raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 76,587.7% in the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 105,292,277 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $69,502,379,000 after acquiring an additional 105,154,977 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 90,841,345 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $59,963,463,000 after acquiring an additional 4,395,763 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 52,806,712 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $34,734,628,000 after purchasing an additional 878,396 shares during the period. Finally, Capital World Investors raised its position in Meta Platforms by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 39,558,637 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $26,112,735,000 after purchasing an additional 310,947 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Trading Down 4.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $543.82 on Wednesday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $520.26 and a 52 week high of $790.80. The company's 50 day moving average is $594.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $618.43. The company has a market cap of $1.39 trillion, a PE ratio of 20.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.25. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). The firm had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%.Meta Platforms's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $7.14 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were given a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio is currently 7.91%.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts view META’s decline as excessive, arguing that one-time legal and severance costs have weighed on earnings and that future margin expansion, AI-powered advertising, and WhatsApp monetization could support substantial upside. Meta also remains among the major technology holdings disclosed by Appaloosa Management. Meta’s Dip Offers A 30% Upside Potential
• Neutral Sentiment: A federal child-safety trial has begun in California, with 29 states alleging that Meta designed Facebook and Instagram to encourage compulsive use among younger users, concealed health risks, and violated child-privacy and consumer-protection laws. The states are seeking potentially enormous damages—reported at roughly $200 billion in some filings and as much as $1.4 trillion in broader claims—as well as changes to the platforms. The outcome could establish a precedent for similar lawsuits and regulatory action across the industry. Meta faces 29-state trial that could reshape Instagram and Facebook
• Negative Sentiment: The trial is the immediate catalyst for investor selling because a loss could lead to major financial penalties, costly product changes, and restrictions on how Meta engages younger users—potentially affecting user engagement and advertising revenue. The risk is amplified by Meta’s recent loss of a nearly $1 billion New Mexico judgment and the prospect of additional lawsuits. Meta Stock Sinks as $200B Trial Threatens Facebook and Instagram Ad Revenue
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are also scrutinizing Meta’s AI spending. Large data-center investments are consuming cash, while debt and off-balance-sheet financing arrangements could create future obligations if AI assets underperform. Meta’s recent quarterly EPS miss and margin pressure add to concerns that the AI buildout may take time to generate returns. What Could Meta’s Off-Balance-Sheet AI Financing Mean for Investors?
• Negative Sentiment: Privacy concerns are spreading beyond regulators: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has barred employees from wearing Meta’s smart glasses at work, adding to reputational and adoption risks for the device business. ICE Bars Its Workers From Wearing Meta’s Smart Glasses on the Job

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on META. Wedbush cut their price objective on Meta Platforms from $671.00 to $595.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $725.00 price target (down from $825.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Monness Crespi & Hardt reduced their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $890.00 to $730.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $785.00 price objective (down from $800.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $840.00 to $770.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $785.32.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In other news, insider Curtis J. Mahoney sold 2,079 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $609.92, for a total value of $1,268,023.68. Following the transaction, the insider owned 1,118 shares in the company, valued at approximately $681,890.56. This represents a 65.03% 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, COO Javier Olivan sold 3,348 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $600.97, for a total value of $2,012,047.56. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 9,498 shares in the company, valued at $5,708,013.06. This trade represents a 26.06% 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. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 19,899 shares of company stock valued at $12,290,969. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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