Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Sold by Heron Bay Capital Management

Key Points

• Heron Bay Capital Management reduced its Meta position by 7.4% in the second quarter, selling 4,602 shares and retaining 57,416 shares valued at approximately $32.3 million.
• Institutional investors own nearly 79.9% of Meta’s stock, while analysts remain bullish with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $788.88.
• Meta’s revenue rose 28% year over year to $60.8 billion, though quarterly EPS of $6.18 missed expectations; investors are also weighing heavy AI investment, regulatory risks and recent insider selling.

Heron Bay Capital Management lowered its holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 7.4% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 57,416 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 4,602 shares during the period. Meta Platforms comprises about 2.9% of Heron Bay Capital Management's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Heron Bay Capital Management's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $32,342,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Gambit Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 11.4% in the second quarter. Gambit Capital Management LLC now owns 1,112 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $626,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the period. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 6.5% in the 2nd quarter. C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. now owns 1,267 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $714,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Keebeck Wealth Management boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 14.3% during the 2nd quarter. Keebeck Wealth Management now owns 9,981 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $5,623,000 after purchasing an additional 1,246 shares during the period. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 4.3% during the 2nd quarter. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. now owns 4,641 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $2,614,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the period. Finally, Alaska Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 5.2% during the 2nd quarter. Alaska Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 504 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $284,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Erste Group Bank raised Meta Platforms from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $810.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $763.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Rosenblatt Securities upped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $883.00 to $886.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $785.00 price target (down from $800.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $788.88.

Key Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: New Meta One subscriptions could create recurring AI revenue. Meta introduced plans ranging from individual to creator and business tiers, priced from $2.99 to $499 per month, offering expanded access to AI image, video and editing tools across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Meta AI. The initiative gives investors a clearer path to monetizing AI beyond advertising. Reuters article on Meta One subscriptions
• Positive Sentiment: AI agents are being integrated into WhatsApp Business. Businesses will be able to use third-party AI agents to set up and manage customer messaging, potentially increasing WhatsApp’s commercial utility and supporting higher business adoption and revenue. TechCrunch article on WhatsApp Business AI agents
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains broadly favorable. Recent coverage highlights bullish views tied to Meta’s Muse AI platform, improving advertising performance and the company’s valuation relative to growth. One report says 55 analysts covering Meta have no sell ratings, while Goldman Sachs has identified further upside potential. Analyst coverage article
• Positive Sentiment: Meta reportedly plans camera-free smart glasses. The internally named Luna glasses could broaden Meta’s wearables strategy while addressing privacy concerns associated with cameras, although launch details remain unconfirmed. Reuters article on Meta’s camera-free smart glasses
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta said it will directly report child-safety cases to India’s cybercrime portal, a move that could improve regulatory cooperation but also underscores continuing scrutiny of its platforms. Article on Meta’s child-safety reporting in India
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and legal risks remain significant. California’s restrictions on certain youth-targeted advertising practices and a lawsuit involving alleged facial-recognition features in Meta’s smart glasses could increase legal costs and limit product functionality. Article on Meta’s regulatory risks
• Negative Sentiment: Investors continue to debate whether Meta’s aggressive AI infrastructure commitments will generate sufficient returns, particularly if interest rates remain elevated. A recent SEC filing also disclosed an insider sale worth approximately $13 million, which may weigh modestly on sentiment. Analysis of Meta’s AI spending

Meta Platforms Price Performance

NASDAQ:META opened at $670.24 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The business's 50-day moving average price is $603.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $609.04. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52-week low of $520.26 and a 52-week high of $790.80. The firm has a market cap of $1.71 trillion, a P/E ratio of 25.24, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%.The company had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $7.14 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Christopher Cox sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $650.28, for a total transaction of $13,005,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 244,516 shares in the company, valued at $159,003,864.48. The trade was a 7.56% decrease in their position. The transaction 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, COO Javier Olivan sold 2,838 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $616.71, for a total value of $1,750,222.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 11,662 shares in the company, valued at $7,192,072.02. This trade represents a 19.57% 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 60,183 shares of company stock worth $36,673,495. Insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc develops technologies that help people connect, communicate and build communities online. The company's principal products include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and digital communication.

Meta generates most of its business through advertising displayed across its family of apps. It also develops artificial intelligence technologies, business messaging tools and hardware and software through its Reality Labs division, including Quest virtual- and mixed-reality devices and related experiences.

The company was founded as Facebook in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and was renamed Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect its broader focus on building the metaverse.

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