Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Sold by Arizona State Retirement System

Key Points

• Arizona State Retirement System trimmed its stake in Meta by 3.0%, selling 18,812 shares and holding 615,238 shares (about $406.1M), making Meta roughly 2.2% of its portfolio and its eighth-largest position.
• Large insider sales were reported: CFO Susan J. Li sold 56,571 shares and CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 8,089 shares, with insiders selling 166,638 shares worth $106.7M in the past 90 days while corporate insiders still own 13.61% of the company.
• Meta posted a strong quarter—EPS $10.44 vs. $6.67 est. and revenue up 33.1% to $56.31B driven by AI‑powered ads—and analysts maintain a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average target near $840.67.

Arizona State Retirement System cut its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 615,238 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 18,812 shares during the period. Meta Platforms comprises approximately 2.2% of Arizona State Retirement System's investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Arizona State Retirement System's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $406,112,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vista Capital Partners Inc. lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Vista Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,075 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $794,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Sentinel Pension Advisors LLC lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Sentinel Pension Advisors LLC now owns 915 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $672,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management now owns 4,301 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $3,159,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 454 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $334,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Forza Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Forza Wealth Management LLC now owns 402 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $295,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In related news, CFO Susan J. Li sold 56,571 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $644.70, for a total value of $36,471,323.70. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 8,089 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $631.24, for a total transaction of $5,106,100.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 2,841 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,793,352.84. This represents a 74.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 166,638 shares of company stock worth $106,697,681. Corporate insiders own 13.61% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. KeyCorp reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $760.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $765.00 to $770.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $815.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $750.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $840.67.

Meta Platforms Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of META stock opened at $610.45 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $629.62 and a 200-day moving average of $647.50. 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 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $796.25. The firm has a market cap of $1.54 trillion, a P/E ratio of 22.19, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.67 by $3.77. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 32.84% and a return on equity of 36.93%. The company had revenue of $56.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.56 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $6.43 EPS. Meta Platforms's quarterly revenue was up 33.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 30.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th were paid a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is currently 7.63%.

Meta Platforms News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong AI-driven ad momentum: Meta’s recent quarter showed ~33% revenue growth driven by AI-powered ad pricing, reinforcing revenue durability and upside to ad monetization trends. Meta Platforms vs Snap: Who’s Really Winning Digital Ads?
• Positive Sentiment: Big data‑center expansion: Bloomberg/Reuters report Meta is lining up roughly $13 billion in financing (led by Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan) for a new El Paso, TX, AI/data-center complex — a sign of ongoing investment in AI capacity that supports long‑term revenue opportunities but also signals heavy capex. Meta taps Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan for El Paso data center deal, Bloomberg News reports
• Positive Sentiment: Product/AI R&D push: Meta acquired Assured Robot Intelligence (ARI) to accelerate humanoid‑robot AI efforts — an R&D move that underscores Meta’s broader AI roadmap and long‑term platform expansion. Meta Acquires ARI to Fuel Humanoid Robot Push
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst actions are mixed: Several firms reaffirm Buy but trimmed price targets (e.g., Truist lowered its PT to $840 from $900 while keeping a Buy). This keeps institutional support intact but signals tempered near‑term upside expectations. Truist Reduces PT on Meta Platforms (META) Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/regulatory risk — New Mexico youth‑safety trial: State seeks court-ordered platform changes and large penalties in a case alleging harm to young users; outcomes could force costly product changes or damages. New Mexico seeks changes to Meta platforms in youth harm trial
• Negative Sentiment: Reputation and regulatory headlines: Reuters won a Pulitzer for reporting on investigations that allege Meta knowingly exposed users (including minors) to harmful AI chatbots and profited from fraudulent ads — amplifies regulatory scrutiny and reputational risk. Reuters wins beat reporting Pulitzer for Meta investigations
• Negative Sentiment: Governance/legal probe: A shareholder law firm is investigating Meta’s board for potential oversight failures around privacy and AI training practices — another headline that can pressure investor sentiment. Berger Montague PC Investigates Meta Platforms, Inc.'s Board of Directors for Breach of Fiduciary Duty

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.

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