Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Sold by Leuthold Group LLC

Key Points

• Leuthold Group reduced its Meta position by 5.1% in the second quarter, selling 1,028 shares and retaining 19,101 shares valued at approximately $10.8 million.
• Institutional investors and hedge funds own about 79.91% of Meta’s outstanding shares; Vanguard increased its stake by 3.8% to nearly 200 million shares.
• Meta insiders sold 32,987 shares worth approximately $19.2 million during the past quarter, while analysts maintained a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $785.22.

Leuthold Group LLC decreased its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 19,101 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 1,028 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for approximately 1.1% of Leuthold Group LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Leuthold Group LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $10,759,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in META. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 17.4% during the first quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 18,000 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $10,299,000 after buying an additional 2,670 shares during the period. Keybank National Association OH lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 15.7% in the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 133,798 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $88,319,000 after acquiring an additional 18,169 shares during the last quarter. WMS Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter worth approximately $876,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 199,995,630 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $132,015,115,000 after purchasing an additional 7,269,279 shares during the period. Finally, Czech National Bank increased its holdings in Meta Platforms by 4.9% in the 2nd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 625,079 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $352,101,000 after purchasing an additional 29,411 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total value of $4,379,184.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer owned 828 shares of the company's stock, valued at $462,024. This trade represents a 90.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 1,258 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $600.00, for a total value of $754,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 1,517 shares of the company's stock, valued at $910,200. The trade was a 45.33% 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. Insiders have sold 32,987 shares of company stock worth $19,202,995 over the last quarter. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta unveiled Muse Spark 1.3, an upgraded AI model that AI chief Alexandr Wang says delivers the company’s biggest performance improvement yet and is comparable with offerings from Anthropic and OpenAI. The announcement strengthened expectations that Meta can compete more effectively in generative AI and monetize its large user base. Meta Rises 4% as Muse Spark 1.3 Claims Parity With Anthropic and OpenAI
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts said Meta’s settlement of major social-media litigation could remove a legal overhang and accelerate the launch of new AI products. Some investors view the settlement as manageable relative to Meta’s scale and believe teen-usage restrictions may have limited revenue impact. Meta settlement could clear the way for new AI product launches, Morgan Stanley says
• Positive Sentiment: Investment commentary highlighted Meta as one of the leading “hyperscalers” supporting the AI ecosystem, with strong revenue growth, user engagement and long-term AI monetization potential. Hyperscalers are the backbone of AI
• Neutral Sentiment: Wedbush reaffirmed its Neutral rating, signaling that the AI opportunity is balanced by valuation, execution and spending concerns. Wedbush Reaffirms Neutral Rating for Meta Platforms
• Negative Sentiment: Meta reportedly agreed to pay as much as $17 billion over 10 years and make major changes to Instagram and Facebook for teen users. The settlement may reduce legal uncertainty, but its cost and potential limits on engagement create financial and operating risks. Meta Is Making These Major Changes for Teen Users After $17 Billion Settlement
• Negative Sentiment: Commentary warned that AI infrastructure spending could approach $145 billion, compressing free cash flow even as revenue grows. Investors also remain concerned about Meta’s dependence on successful AI execution to justify a recovery toward its prior high. Meta Stock Has a New AI Catalyst
• Negative Sentiment: Meta is paying users to share how they use its latest AI model, raising privacy and reputational concerns that could complicate adoption. Separately, the company disabled cameras on some AI glasses after detecting tampering with recording lights. Meta is paying to peek at how you use their latest AI model

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of META stock opened at $610.68 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $594.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $609.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.56 trillion, a PE ratio of 23.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $520.26 and a 52 week high of $790.80.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The firm's revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $7.14 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on META. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Meta Platforms from $835.00 to $640.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $700.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Meta Platforms from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. Wedbush reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $595.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $750.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $785.22.

Meta Platforms 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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