Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Sold by TrinityBridge Ltd

Key Points

• TrinityBridge Ltd. reduced its Meta Platforms stake by 6.1% in the second quarter, selling 4,603 shares and retaining 70,835 shares valued at approximately $39.9 million. Meta represents 1.1% of the firm’s portfolio.
• Institutional ownership remains high at 79.91%, with several hedge funds increasing their positions during the quarter, including Kilter Group, Fairtree Asset Management and Ceredex Value Advisors.
• Meta reported quarterly revenue of $60.8 billion, up 28% year over year and above estimates, but earnings per share of $6.18 missed the $7.19 consensus. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $788.88, while the company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share.

TrinityBridge Ltd lowered its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 6.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 70,835 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 4,603 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for 1.1% of TrinityBridge Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. TrinityBridge Ltd's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $39,879,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Silvant Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.7% in the second quarter. Silvant Capital Management LLC now owns 186,856 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $105,254,000 after purchasing an additional 3,121 shares during the period. LaSalle St. Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.5% during the second quarter. LaSalle St. Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,511 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $1,415,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 11.9% during the second quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 31,576 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $17,786,000 after buying an additional 3,355 shares during the period. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 18.6% during the second quarter. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd now owns 18,777 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $10,577,000 after buying an additional 2,939 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kilter Group LLC increased its position in Meta Platforms by 64.2% in the 2nd quarter. Kilter Group LLC now owns 1,512 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $851,000 after acquiring an additional 591 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Meta Platforms Stock Up 2.7%

META opened at $665.60 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.23 and a quick ratio of 2.23. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month high of $790.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.70 trillion, a P/E ratio of 25.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.25. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $602.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $608.92.

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 for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). The business had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%.The company's revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $7.14 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be issued a $0.525 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.91%.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI strategy is boosting investor confidence. Goldman Sachs reiterated its bullish view, citing the rollout of Meta’s Muse AI agent and a recent legal settlement as potential catalysts. Analysts also argue that Meta’s valuation remains attractive relative to its growth, with one estimate assigning an $817 price target. Why is Meta stock gaining in premarket today
• Positive Sentiment: Advertising momentum supports earnings expectations. A bullish analysis highlighted second-quarter ad impressions growth of 14% and a 12% increase in average ad prices. Meta’s forward PEG ratio was also described as below both the sector median and its five-year average, suggesting investors may still view the stock as reasonably valued despite its recent rally. Meta Platforms: AI Spending Is Starting To Pay Off
• Positive Sentiment: Meta is benefiting from a shift in AI sentiment. Shares of Meta and Alphabet gained while AI-chip stocks weakened after several AI executives called for a slower approach to developing frontier models. Investors may be favoring Meta because its large user base and advertising business provide diversified ways to monetize AI. Why Google and Meta Stocks Are the Big Winners From the Latest AI Concerns
• Neutral Sentiment: AI investment is creating both opportunity and financial risk. AI-related debt issuance has surged, and Meta is viewed as better positioned than highly leveraged infrastructure providers because of its stronger cash generation. Nevertheless, the scale of data-center spending could pressure free cash flow and increase execution risk. AI-Related Debt Sales Are Near $500 Billion
• Negative Sentiment: Meta faces a proposed class-action lawsuit over smart-glasses privacy. Parents and children in California and Illinois allege that the company’s unreleased “NameTag” facial-recognition feature improperly used Facebook and Instagram data. The case could create legal costs, regulatory scrutiny and reputational damage if the allegations gain traction. Meta Faces Lawsuit Over Smart Glasses Facial Recognition
• Negative Sentiment: Content-moderation and insider-selling headlines add caution. Meta’s Oversight Board urged it not to replace professional fact-checking with Community Notes, while a reported insider stock sale worth about $13 million may weigh modestly on sentiment. These developments raise governance and reputational concerns, although neither necessarily changes Meta’s underlying operating outlook. Oversight Board asks Meta not to replace fact-checking with Community Notes

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Susan J. 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 owned 13,186 shares in the company, 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 filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 20,000 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $650.28, for a total value of $13,005,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 244,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at $159,003,864.48. This trade represents a 7.56% decrease in their position. 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 60,183 shares of company stock valued at $36,673,495 in the last 90 days. 13.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on META shares. Citizens Jmp reduced their price objective on Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $770.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Truist Financial lowered their target price on Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $763.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Erste Group Bank raised Meta Platforms from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Wedbush upped their price target on Meta Platforms from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $788.88.

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc develops technologies that help people connect, communicate and build communities online. The company's principal products include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and digital communication.

Meta generates most of its business through advertising displayed across its family of apps. It also develops artificial intelligence technologies, business messaging tools and hardware and software through its Reality Labs division, including Quest virtual- and mixed-reality devices and related experiences.

The company was founded as Facebook in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and was renamed Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect its broader focus on building the metaverse.

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