Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stake Lifted by Secure Asset Management LLC

Key Points

• Secure Asset Management LLC increased its Meta stake by 60.9% in the third quarter, bringing its holdings to 13,064 shares valued at approximately $9.47 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 79.91% of Meta’s stock.
• Meta reported strong quarterly results, with revenue rising 26.1% year over year to $64.6 billion and earnings of $7.40 per share, beating analyst expectations. Wall Street’s consensus rating is “Moderate Buy”, with an average price target of $833.12.
• Despite solid advertising growth and expanding AI usage, investors face risks from Meta’s planned $135 billion–$145 billion in 2026 capital spending, negative free cash flow concerns, potential share dilution, and a $25 billion privacy-case judgment that the company plans to appeal.

Secure Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 60.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 13,064 shares of the social networking company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,944 shares during the period. Meta Platforms comprises 1.2% of Secure Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Secure Asset Management LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $9,474,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Worth Financial Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in Meta Platforms by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Worth Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 3,367 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $2,442,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 10.3% in the 3rd quarter. Ramsay Stattman Vela & Price Inc. now owns 4,155 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $3,013,000 after purchasing an additional 387 shares in the last quarter. Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 32,194 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $23,346,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. Equita Financial Network Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Equita Financial Network Inc. now owns 703 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $510,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Maia Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Maia Wealth LLC now owns 10,441 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $7,572,000 after buying an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on META. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Meta Platforms from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $710.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Wedbush upped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $700.00 to $730.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $895.00 to $905.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $833.12.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

NASDAQ META opened at $648.85 on Friday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $520.26 and a 52 week high of $779.82. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market cap of $1.65 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $663.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $629.62.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.86. The company had revenue of $64.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $63.34 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 31.74% and a net margin of 31.15%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 26.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $7.25 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.28 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a dividend of $0.5250 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is presently 7.91%.

Key Stories Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta reported third-quarter revenue of $64.6 billion, up 26.1% year over year, while adjusted earnings of $7.40 per share exceeded analyst expectations. Advertising remained robust, supported by AI-driven engagement, higher ad prices and improved conversion rates. META's Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Meta said its Muse AI assistant surpassed 10 million users shortly after launch, strengthening the long-term case for new advertising, consumer and enterprise revenue opportunities. Meta says Muse has over 10M users
• Positive Sentiment: Several firms raised their price targets and maintained bullish ratings, including Bank of America, JPMorgan, UBS, Citigroup, Mizuho and Pivotal Research, citing resilient advertising and improving AI prospects. Meta Stock Falls Despite Strong Q3 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta announced a 2-for-1 stock split and a new non-voting Class C share. The structure could help fund its AI buildout while preserving Mark Zuckerberg’s voting control, but it also raises concerns about future dilution and governance. Meta wants to pay for its AI buildout
• Negative Sentiment: Investors were alarmed by Meta’s capital-spending outlook of approximately $135 billion to $145 billion for 2026. Heavy data-center and AI investment pushed free cash flow negative, while credit-default-swap costs reached a record, intensifying concerns about debt or equity financing. Meta stock sinks as AI spend pushes free cash flow negative
• Negative Sentiment: A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion in a Cambridge Analytica-related privacy case. Meta plans to appeal, but the verdict adds substantial legal, regulatory and reputational risk. Meta ordered to pay $25 billion to New Mexico
• Negative Sentiment: Broader technology-market weakness, AI-investment concerns and escalating Middle East tensions added to the selling pressure, making it harder for Meta’s earnings beat to support the stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, insider Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total transaction of $28,510,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. The trade was a 17.82% decrease in their position. The sale 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, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total value 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 have sold 149,906 shares of company stock valued at $102,347,409 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

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's principal platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Threads, which enable users to connect, communicate, share content, and discover products and services.

Meta also operates Reality Labs, its division focused on virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies. Reality Labs develops products such as Meta Quest virtual reality headsets and related software and experiences, along with research and hardware intended to support immersive computing.

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