Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Sold by Noked Israel Ltd

Key Points

• Noked Israel Ltd cut its stake in Meta by 35.1% in Q3, selling 40,300 shares and now holds 74,666 shares valued at $54.83 million, making Meta its third‑largest holding (8.6% of the firm's portfolio).
• Insider selling has been notable: COO Javier Olivan and CTO Andrew Bosworth recently sold shares, and insiders have offloaded 161,446 shares worth $103.45 million over the past 90 days (insiders now own 13.61% of Meta).
• Meta beat quarterly expectations with $8.88 EPS and $59.89 billion in revenue, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share (annualized $2.10, ~0.3% yield).

Noked Israel Ltd cut its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 35.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 74,666 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 40,300 shares during the period. Meta Platforms makes up 8.6% of Noked Israel Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Noked Israel Ltd's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $54,833,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Westchester Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Bare Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in Meta Platforms in the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new position in Meta Platforms in the second quarter worth approximately $44,000. Spurstone Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth $59,000. Finally, Evergreen Private Wealth LLC raised its position in Meta Platforms by 64.8% in the third quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 89 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Meta Platforms Stock Down 2.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $638.18 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.61 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.30. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $479.80 and a 1 year high of $796.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.60 and a quick ratio of 2.60. The firm's 50-day moving average is $653.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $678.88.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.16 by $0.72. The business had revenue of $59.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $58.33 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 30.08% and a return on equity of 38.61%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 23.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $8.02 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio is currently 8.94%.

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta unveiled a roadmap for four new in‑house AI chips (MTIA 300/400/450/500) aimed at inference workloads and faster iterative deployments — a long‑term win for gross‑margin control and scalability if Meta can reduce third‑party hardware spend. Meta Chip Roadmap Puts AI Inference And Costs In Sharper Focus
• Positive Sentiment: Facebook Marketplace rolled out Meta AI features that auto‑write listings and suggest prices — these product improvements can increase seller throughput and ad/commerce monetization. Meta AI Writes Listings and Sets Prices for Facebook Marketplace Sellers
• Positive Sentiment: Meta expanded AI‑driven scam detection across Facebook, WhatsApp and Messenger, which helps reduce fraud liability and could improve user trust and engagement. Meta Rolls Out New Scam Alerts Across Facebook, WhatsApp, and Messenger
• Positive Sentiment: Investor endorsement: Michael Cuggino cited Meta as an AI pick for its cost discipline — a vote of confidence that may support long‑term investor sentiment. Cuggino likes Meta for cost discipline
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts at Evercore flagged that large internet names (including Meta) may be oversold amid AI/geopolitical worries — this could imply a rebound if sentiment stabilizes. Amazon, Uber, and Other Internet Stocks Look Too Cheap After AI and Iran Worries
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta acquired Moltbook, a niche social network for AI agents — strategically relevant for agent research but commercially unproven; more of a signal on R&D direction than immediate revenue impact. Meta to acquire Moltbook, the social network for AI agents
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: COO Javier Olivan reduced holdings in recent SEC filings — such sizable insider disposals can spook short‑term investors even if routine. Insider sale filing
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory risk: UK regulators and lawmakers are pressing big tech (including Meta) to do more to keep children off platforms — potential for stricter rules or compliance costs in key markets. UK watchdogs press Meta, TikTok, Snap and YouTube to block children
• Negative Sentiment: Public skepticism on costs: Commentary (e.g., Jim Cramer) asking why Meta retains ~78k employees if AI boosts productivity raises investor questions about future headcount, restructuring and near‑term cost cuts. Cramer: Why does Meta need 78,000 employees if AI makes them 10x more productive?
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction note: coverage flagged that Meta fell more than the broader market on the latest session — signaling profit‑taking or short‑term risk aversion despite the strategic positives. Here's Why Meta Platforms (META) Fell More Than Broader Market

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

META has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Meta Platforms from $785.00 to $820.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Meta Platforms from $815.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $872.00 target price (up from $830.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $800.00 target price for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $825.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $844.44.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 926 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $634.94, for a total value of $587,954.44. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 15,187 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,642,833.78. This trade represents a 5.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 8,089 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $631.24, for a total value of $5,106,100.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 2,841 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,793,352.84. This trade represents a 74.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 161,446 shares of company stock valued at $103,451,688. 13.61% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Meta Platforms

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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