Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Purchased by Welch Group LLC

Key Points

• Welch Group increased its Meta stake 7.4% in the third quarter, bringing its holdings to 21,054 shares valued at about $15.3 million.
• Analysts have a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $833.12; 47 rate the stock Buy, three Strong Buy, and seven Hold.
• Meta’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, with earnings of $7.40 per share and revenue of $64.6 billion; revenue rose 26.1% year over year.

Welch Group LLC raised its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,054 shares of the social networking company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,459 shares during the quarter. Welch Group LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $15,268,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of META. Trek Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 13.7% in the third quarter. Trek Financial LLC now owns 7,795 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $5,653,000 after purchasing an additional 941 shares in the last quarter. True Freedom Investing LLC boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 0.6% during the third quarter. True Freedom Investing LLC now owns 6,276 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $4,551,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Pinnacle Financial Group LLC IL boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 18.8% during the third quarter. Pinnacle Financial Group LLC IL now owns 551 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $399,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the period. Security Financial Services INC. grew its position in Meta Platforms by 11.4% during the third quarter. Security Financial Services INC. now owns 1,127 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $818,000 after buying an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC now owns 6,518 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $4,727,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price target on Meta Platforms from $955.00 to $855.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Arete Research lifted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $735.00 to $806.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $750.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Moffett Nathanson lowered their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $740.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $885.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Three 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $833.12.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $614.15, for a total transaction of $580,985.90. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 4,094 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,514,330.10. This trade represents a 18.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 151,090 shares of company stock worth $103,150,807 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting 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

Meta Platforms Price Performance

NASDAQ META traded up $5.07 on Friday, reaching $610.15. 15,673,971 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 23,359,418. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month 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 stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $674.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $632.16. The stock has a market cap of $1.56 trillion, a PE ratio of 20.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.28.

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

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

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

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.

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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