Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock Acquired by Wedmont Private Capital

Key Points

• Wedmont Private Capital increased its Meta Platforms stake by 44.5% in the third quarter, adding 20,213 shares to own 65,596 shares valued at approximately $47.3 million. Institutional investors collectively hold about 79.9% of Meta’s stock.
• Meta reported 28% year-over-year revenue growth to $60.8 billion, although earnings per share missed analyst expectations and free cash flow declined sharply amid heavy AI and data-center spending.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $791.86, but investors face risks from insider selling, regulatory scrutiny and obstacles to monetizing Meta’s AI initiatives.

Wedmont Private Capital lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 44.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 65,596 shares of the social networking company's stock after buying an additional 20,213 shares during the period. Meta Platforms makes up approximately 1.1% of Wedmont Private Capital's portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Wedmont Private Capital's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $47,288,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Intelligence Driven Advisers LLC grew its position in Meta Platforms by 5.1% in the third quarter. Intelligence Driven Advisers LLC now owns 2,561 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $1,857,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. Cadent Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in Meta Platforms by 21.4% in the third quarter. Cadent Capital Advisors LLC now owns 504 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $366,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. WoodTrust Financial Corp raised its position in Meta Platforms by 378.2% in the third quarter. WoodTrust Financial Corp now owns 11,587 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $8,403,000 after purchasing an additional 9,164 shares during the period. Brown Shipley& Co Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Brown Shipley& Co Ltd now owns 13,992 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $10,147,000 after purchasing an additional 371 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Insight Wealth Strategies LLC lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 1,139 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $826,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total transaction of $2,002,514.40. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 6,271 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,875,854.26. This represents a 34.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Susan Li sold 9,196 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total value of $5,063,409.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 13,186 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,260,343.46. The trade was a 41.09% 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 148,222 shares of company stock valued at $101,033,627. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Advertising remains the core bullish argument. Meta’s revenue increased 28% year over year to $60.8 billion in fiscal second-quarter 2026, and micro-drama content is emerging as a potential source of incremental advertising demand. Why Meta is winning the micro drama wars
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive on Meta’s AI-driven growth. TD Cowen reaffirmed a Buy rating with an $865 price target, while Wells Fargo sees a path toward a substantially higher valuation if AI improves ad performance and creates new revenue streams. Meta Could Hit $1,000, Says Wells Fargo
• Positive Sentiment: Meta is expanding its AI ecosystem. The company’s Muse agent, enterprise AI platform and AI-enabled smart-glasses strategy could provide new commerce, productivity and hardware opportunities beyond traditional social-media advertising. Meta’s decision to ban ByteDance and TikTok advertising in several markets also intensifies its competitive positioning. Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s Decision to Pull the Trigger on Meta’s A.I. Agent
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta’s AI investment is producing both growth and financial strain. Revenue growth is strong, but free cash flow fell to $784 million from $8.55 billion a year earlier as data-center and AI infrastructure spending surged. Investors need evidence that Muse and other AI projects can eventually generate returns. Meta’s Sales Jumped 28% While Free Cash Flow Shrank
• Negative Sentiment: Muse faces adoption and monetization obstacles. Jefferies found that roughly one-third of tested websites blocked the agent, while Amazon reportedly blocked it, potentially delaying Meta’s plans to earn transaction fees from AI-powered commerce. Analysts also question whether the service can become profitable at scale. Meta’s Muse AI agent blocked by one-third of websites tested
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and reputational risks remain a drag. Florida is pursuing restrictions on teen access and infinite-scroll features, while criticism surrounding the film The Social Reckoning and Meta’s handling of harmful AI-generated content could increase scrutiny. A planned-transaction sale by COO Javier Olivan adds a modest insider-selling concern. Meta Stock Falls as Florida Asks a Court to Switch Off Infinite Scroll for Teens

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

NASDAQ META opened at $718.67 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.23 and a quick ratio of 2.23. The company has a market cap of $1.83 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.19. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $640.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $620.09. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year high of $779.82.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The business had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $60.22 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $7.14 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. New Street Research cut their price objective on Meta Platforms from $730.00 to $700.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 31st. HSBC decreased their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $905.00 to $830.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. UBS Group reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities restated a "buy" rating and issued a $886.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $791.86.

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 operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.

Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.

Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.

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