Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Sold by Kelleher Financial Advisors

Key Points

• Kelleher Financial Advisors cut its Meta stake by 9.9% in the third quarter, selling 1,003 shares; it retained 9,156 shares valued at about $6.64 million.
• Analysts hold a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, with an average price target of $833.12. The article reports three Strong Buy, 47 Buy and seven Hold ratings.
• Meta beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting EPS of $7.40 versus $6.54 expected and revenue of $64.6 billion, up 26.1% year over year.

Kelleher Financial Advisors reduced its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 9.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,156 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 1,003 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms makes up approximately 1.8% of Kelleher Financial Advisors' investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Kelleher Financial Advisors' holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $6,639,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Corient Private Wealth LP boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 723.1% during the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 8,801,764 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $4,957,946,000 after acquiring an additional 7,732,446 shares during the last quarter. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at about $2,948,486,000. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.0% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 92,033,963 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $51,841,811,000 after purchasing an additional 3,510,123 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in Meta Platforms by 14.6% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,038,035 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $12,036,491,000 after purchasing an additional 2,673,494 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi increased its position in Meta Platforms by 18.1% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 11,858,972 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $6,784,873,000 after purchasing an additional 1,815,017 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

META has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Yorkville Ives assumed coverage on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $900.00 target price on the stock. Wedbush increased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $700.00 to $730.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Moffett Nathanson cut their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $740.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $750.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $905.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $833.12.

Meta Platforms Stock Up 5.1%

Shares of META opened at $641.37 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $1.64 trillion, a P/E ratio of 21.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.28. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $779.82. The company's 50-day moving average price is $676.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $632.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.86. The company had revenue of $64.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $63.34 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 31.15% and a return on equity of 30.73%. Meta Platforms's revenue for the quarter was up 26.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $7.25 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $614.15, for a total value of $580,985.90. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 4,094 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,514,330.10. This represents a 18.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 149,398 shares of company stock valued at $102,134,435. 13.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan added Meta to its Analyst Focus List as a preferred internet stock, citing the strength of AI-powered advertising and potential new monetization opportunities. The endorsement helped lift shares. Article: Meta stock surges over 5% today: here's why
• Positive Sentiment: Meta released Muse Ember, a lightweight, cost-efficient AI model built for agent tasks such as coding and document processing. Investors may see it as a step toward expanding AI capabilities efficiently. Article: Meta releases Muse Ember
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta is expanding AI age-estimation technology globally on Instagram to identify teen users and apply Teen Account protections. The rollout could help address safety concerns, but comes amid multiple lawsuits alleging harm to teens. Article: Meta expands Instagram's AI age-guessing tech globally
• Negative Sentiment: Investor concerns remain about the scale of Meta’s AI investment: a recent analysis noted that free cash flow turned negative last quarter. Heavy spending could weigh on returns if AI monetization does not keep pace. Article: Meta Platforms Stock: Is it a Steal of a Deal at $650?

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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