Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Sold by Douglas Lane & Associates LLC

Key Points

• Douglas Lane & Associates reduced its Meta position by 3.3% in the third quarter, selling 3,398 shares and retaining 100,099 shares valued at approximately $72.6 million. Institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of Meta’s outstanding stock.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive: Meta has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $791.86, despite some target-price reductions and upgrades from other analysts.
• Insiders have also been selling shares. Executives sold 148,222 shares worth roughly $101 million over the past three months, while Meta’s latest quarter showed 28% year-over-year revenue growth but an earnings-per-share miss.

Douglas Lane & Associates LLC trimmed its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 3.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 100,099 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 3,398 shares during the period. Douglas Lane & Associates LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $72,590,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of META. Horizons Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms during the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC acquired a new position in Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on META shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded Meta Platforms from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Thursday. Erste Group Bank upgraded Meta Platforms from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Susquehanna cut their target price on Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $650.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Rosenblatt Securities restated a "buy" rating and issued a $886.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. Finally, Loop Capital boosted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $740.00 to $955.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $791.86.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In related news, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total value of $2,002,514.40. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 6,271 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,875,854.26. The trade was a 34.07% decrease in their position. The sale 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. Also, insider Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total transaction of $28,510,400.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 184,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. The trade was a 17.82% 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 three months, insiders have sold 148,222 shares of company stock valued at $101,033,627. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

META stock opened at $718.67 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $640.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $620.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.83 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.19. 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, Inc. has a one year low of $520.26 and a one year high of $779.82.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). The company had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%. The company's revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $7.14 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is presently 7.91%.

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Advertising remains the core bullish argument. Meta’s revenue increased 28% year over year to $60.8 billion in fiscal second-quarter 2026, and micro-drama content is emerging as a potential source of incremental advertising demand. Why Meta is winning the micro drama wars
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive on Meta’s AI-driven growth. TD Cowen reaffirmed a Buy rating with an $865 price target, while Wells Fargo sees a path toward a substantially higher valuation if AI improves ad performance and creates new revenue streams. Meta Could Hit $1,000, Says Wells Fargo
• Positive Sentiment: Meta is expanding its AI ecosystem. The company’s Muse agent, enterprise AI platform and AI-enabled smart-glasses strategy could provide new commerce, productivity and hardware opportunities beyond traditional social-media advertising. Meta’s decision to ban ByteDance and TikTok advertising in several markets also intensifies its competitive positioning. Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s Decision to Pull the Trigger on Meta’s A.I. Agent
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta’s AI investment is producing both growth and financial strain. Revenue growth is strong, but free cash flow fell to $784 million from $8.55 billion a year earlier as data-center and AI infrastructure spending surged. Investors need evidence that Muse and other AI projects can eventually generate returns. Meta’s Sales Jumped 28% While Free Cash Flow Shrank
• Negative Sentiment: Muse faces adoption and monetization obstacles. Jefferies found that roughly one-third of tested websites blocked the agent, while Amazon reportedly blocked it, potentially delaying Meta’s plans to earn transaction fees from AI-powered commerce. Analysts also question whether the service can become profitable at scale. Meta’s Muse AI agent blocked by one-third of websites tested
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and reputational risks remain a drag. Florida is pursuing restrictions on teen access and infinite-scroll features, while criticism surrounding the film The Social Reckoning and Meta’s handling of harmful AI-generated content could increase scrutiny. A planned-transaction sale by COO Javier Olivan adds a modest insider-selling concern. Meta Stock Falls as Florida Asks a Court to Switch Off Infinite Scroll for Teens

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.

Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.

Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.

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