Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Sold by Loftus Peak Pty Ltd

Key Points

• Loftus Peak Pty Ltd cut its Meta position by 20.7% in the third quarter, selling 17,308 shares and retaining 66,257 shares worth approximately $48.0 million. Meta remains the firm’s fifth-largest holding, representing about 5.5% of its portfolio.
• Meta reported quarterly EPS of $6.18, below the $7.19 analyst consensus, while revenue of $60.8 billion exceeded estimates and rose 28% year over year. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.525, equivalent to a 0.3% yield.
• Wall Street maintains a generally positive view, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $803.39 versus the cited share price of $736.72. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the stock, while insiders sold roughly $102.2 million of shares over the prior 90 days.

Loftus Peak Pty Ltd decreased its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 20.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 66,257 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 17,308 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms makes up approximately 5.5% of Loftus Peak Pty Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Loftus Peak Pty Ltd's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $48,048,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. B.A. Schrock Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 3rd quarter worth $2,751,000. ASL Financial LLC acquired a new position in Meta Platforms in the 3rd quarter valued at $209,000. Nolet Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Meta Platforms by 11.8% in the 3rd quarter. Nolet Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,860 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $1,349,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the period. Howard Financial Services LTD. raised its holdings in Meta Platforms by 27.3% in the 3rd quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. now owns 3,136 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $2,274,000 after acquiring an additional 672 shares during the period. Finally, Triangle Securities Wealth Management raised its holdings in Meta Platforms by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Triangle Securities Wealth Management now owns 5,661 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $4,105,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Meta Platforms Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of META opened at $736.72 on Friday. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $653.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $625.27. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $1.88 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.19. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $779.82.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 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 firm had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $7.14 EPS. Meta Platforms's revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company 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. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio is presently 7.91%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. DA Davidson decreased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $700.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Tigress Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $945.00 price target (down from $995.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $955.00 to $855.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on Meta Platforms from $720.00 to $580.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $763.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $803.39.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Susan Li sold 9,196 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total value of $5,063,409.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,186 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,260,343.46. This trade represents a 41.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed 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, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total transaction of $21,359,386.56. 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. Insiders sold a total of 149,797 shares of company stock valued at $102,180,385 in the last ninety days. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta released the open-weight Muse Spark Open model for coding and AI-agent tasks. The model can be downloaded and adapted by developers, broadening Meta’s reach in the AI ecosystem. Meta releases open-weight Muse Spark model for coding and agentic tasks
• Positive Sentiment: An Apple collaboration will enable developers to run Muse Spark Open locally on high-end Mac computers, potentially reducing reliance on cloud infrastructure and increasing model adoption. Apple and Meta team up to make Muse AI model run on Mac computers
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s Muse Wonder model scored 83.2% on an accounting AI benchmark, tying for second place and outperforming OpenAI and Google models in that test. Bank of America maintained a Buy rating and an $810 target, while Guggenheim raised its target to $850. Meta Is Back in the AI Race
• Positive Sentiment: Meta- and Google-backed Jio Platforms is preparing a major Indian IPO, which could provide visibility into the value of Meta’s strategic investment and partnership in the business. Meta- and Google-backed Jio Platforms IPO
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta has outperformed megacap peers and gained roughly 12% over the past month, increasing investor focus on whether the recent AI-driven rally can continue or whether some holders will take profits. Meta Just Climbed 12% in a Month
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that Meta’s more than $130 billion AI investment program is reducing free cash flow, while Reality Labs continues to generate large losses. A roughly $10 billion legal charge and uncertainty around 2027 capital spending could add pressure ahead of the company’s expected October 21 earnings report. Meta: The Muse Rally Has Priced In the Good News Before Q3
• Negative Sentiment: Seven Democratic senators are seeking an explanation for Meta’s claimed $6.6 billion in research tax credits related to AI data centers, creating potential tax and policy risks for Meta and other large technology companies. Senators Want to Know Why Meta Claimed $6.6 Billion in Research Tax Credits
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs reduced its price target to $762 because of rising operating expenses, though it retained a Buy rating. A COO’s disclosed sales were made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and are therefore a limited signal of management sentiment.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.