Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stake Decreased by Ketron Financial

Key Points

• Ketron Financial reduced its Meta stake by 10.1% in the second quarter, selling 1,433 shares and retaining 12,805 shares valued at approximately $7.2 million. Institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of Meta’s stock.
• Meta insiders sold 32,987 shares worth roughly $19.2 million over the past 90 days, including transactions by Curtis J. Mahoney and COO Javier Olivan conducted under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $785.22, despite Meta’s latest earnings missing EPS expectations; quarterly revenue rose 28% year over year to $60.8 billion.

Ketron Financial lowered its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 10.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 12,805 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 1,433 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms makes up approximately 2.2% of Ketron Financial's portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Ketron Financial's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $7,213,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RHL Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Advantage Trust Co bought a new position in Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at $28,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms in the first quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, insider Curtis J. Mahoney sold 1,559 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total value of $869,922.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 1,957 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,092,006. This trade represents a 44.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, 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 sale, the chief operating officer owned 1,517 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $910,200. This trade represents 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 valued at $19,202,995 in the last ninety days. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Mizuho set a $750.00 price target on Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Benchmark reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Raymond James Financial boosted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $835.00 to $810.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $785.22.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

NASDAQ META opened at $616.77 on Tuesday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $597.25 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $608.89. 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 1 year low of $520.26 and a 1 year high of $790.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.57 trillion, a PE ratio of 23.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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). The firm had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $7.14 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Legal settlement may reduce uncertainty. Jim Cramer said Meta is attractively valued after a settlement eased a major legal overhang. Investors may view the resolution of litigation as improving visibility, even though the settlement carries a substantial cost. Jim Cramer Says Meta Is At the Price
• Positive Sentiment: AI infrastructure investment highlights long-term growth potential. Meta’s large Louisiana AI data-center project is generating local economic activity and underscores the company’s commitment to expanding computing capacity for AI products and services. The investment could support future monetization, although it also implies significant capital spending. Meta AI Data Center Louisiana Economy
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention remains elevated. Meta is trending among Zacks users, while broader coverage continues to focus on its AI strategy, advertising business and valuation. This may increase trading interest but does not represent a new fundamental catalyst by itself. Meta Trending Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Teen-safety settlement creates a major financial and regulatory burden. Reports say Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion to resolve claims that its platforms contributed to a teen mental-health crisis. The payment could pressure cash flow and reinforce concerns about increased oversight of social-media companies, despite removing litigation uncertainty. Meta Teen Safety Settlement
• Negative Sentiment: AI governance scrutiny is intensifying. The United Nations reportedly issued a sharper warning regarding AI governance, putting pressure on Meta to address safety, accountability and potential misuse as its AI operations expand. New rules or compliance costs could weigh on future returns. Meta AI Quarter and UN Governance Warning
• Negative Sentiment: Facial-recognition lawsuit adds privacy risk. Meta is facing a suit alleging that facial-recognition technology was used to train smart-glasses systems. The claims could create additional legal costs, reputational damage and scrutiny of Meta’s wearable-AI ambitions. Meta Facial Recognition Lawsuit

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.

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.