Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Sold by Pittenger & Anderson Inc.

Key Points

• Pittenger & Anderson Inc. reduced its Meta Platforms holdings by 8.4% in the second quarter, selling 4,610 shares and retaining 49,963 shares valued at approximately $28.1 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 79.91% of Meta’s stock.
• Meta reported quarterly revenue of $60.8 billion, up 28% year over year, but adjusted earnings of $6.18 per share missed analysts’ $7.19 consensus estimate. The stock opened at $549.90, below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $785.32. However, insiders sold 38,502 shares worth about $22.6 million over the past three months, while Meta’s quarterly dividend implies a 0.4% yield.

Pittenger & Anderson Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 8.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 49,963 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 4,610 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for approximately 1.0% of Pittenger & Anderson Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Pittenger & Anderson Inc.'s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $28,144,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. RHL Group LLC acquired a new position in Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 1st quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

NASDAQ:META opened at $549.90 on Monday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $520.26 and a fifty-two week high of $790.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.23. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $593.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $614.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.40 trillion, a P/E ratio of 20.71, a PEG ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $7.14 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.5 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 25th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is presently 7.91%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total transaction of $4,379,184.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 828 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $462,024. This represents a 90.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Curtis J. Mahoney sold 2,079 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $609.92, for a total value of $1,268,023.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,118 shares of the company's stock, valued at $681,890.56. This trade represents a 65.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 38,502 shares of company stock worth $22,603,485. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Phillip Securities raised shares of Meta Platforms to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Citizens Jmp cut their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $770.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Arete Research set a $735.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $766.00 to $715.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $800.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $785.32.

Key Stories Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta launched Pocket in the U.S., an AI-powered app that lets users create and share interactive games through text prompts. The product could increase engagement and expand Meta’s consumer AI ecosystem. Meta brings Pocket to U.S. users
• Positive Sentiment: Meta introduced a Mac app for Meta AI with system-wide dictation and screen-aware assistance. The company is also pricing its new Muse Code coding agent below Anthropic and OpenAI offerings, potentially helping it attract developers and build AI adoption. Meta AI launches Mac app
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s core advertising business remains strong, with quarterly revenue rising 28% year over year to $60.8 billion. AI-related improvements to recommendations and ad delivery are supporting engagement, clicks and conversion efficiency. Meta drawdown analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta is contesting the Federal Trade Commission’s effort to revive monopoly charges. The company argues that Facebook and Instagram users increasingly see recommended content rather than posts from friends, a defense that could influence the case’s regulatory implications. Meta fights FTC monopoly charges
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta’s CTO Andrew Bosworth, CFO Susan Li and insider Curtis Mahoney sold shares worth roughly $10.3 million in aggregate under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans. The transactions are limited as discretionary signals but may still affect investor sentiment. Meta insider transaction filing
• Negative Sentiment: Child-safety and social-media addiction litigation is intensifying. Testimony alleging that some safety tools were “designed to fail” raises the possibility of major damages, mandated product changes, restrictions on engagement features and pressure on advertising monetization. Meta social media lawsuit trial
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that heavier AI capital spending will depress second-half free cash flow and increase financial pressure. Those concerns follow Meta’s quarterly EPS miss, despite its revenue beat, and have contributed to the stock’s year-to-date weakness. Meta stock investment analysis

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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