Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock: Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Cuts Holdings

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management cut its Meta Platforms holdings by 14.1% in the third quarter, selling 156,716 shares and retaining 953,381 shares valued at approximately $691.4 million.
• Institutional investors own about 79.9% of Meta’s outstanding stock, while several other major investors—including State Street, Bank of America and Invesco— increased their positions.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $808.88, but investors face risks from heavy AI infrastructure spending, regulatory scrutiny and recent insider selling.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. reduced its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 14.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 953,381 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 156,716 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms makes up about 0.5% of Assenagon Asset Management S.A.'s portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.'s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $691,373,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Auto Owners Insurance Co grew its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 76,587.7% in the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 105,292,277 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $69,502,379,000 after purchasing an additional 105,154,977 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 92,033,963 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $51,841,811,000 after purchasing an additional 3,510,123 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 14.6% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,038,035 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $12,036,491,000 after purchasing an additional 2,673,494 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 18,200,469 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $12,013,948,000 after purchasing an additional 1,046,715 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 12,836,063 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $7,230,426,000 after buying an additional 162,909 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

More Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America expects Meta to exceed third-quarter revenue expectations, forecasting $63.8 billion versus a $63.3 billion consensus estimate, and maintained a Buy rating with an $810 price target. Meta expected to beat revenue forecasts as AI boosts advertising, says Bank of America
• Positive Sentiment: Meta released the open-weight Muse Spark model for coding and AI-agent tasks, while its collaboration with Apple enables developers to run the model locally on high-end Mac computers. The developments could broaden adoption of Meta’s AI technology and reduce reliance on cloud infrastructure. Meta releases open-weight Muse Spark model
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan reaffirmed its Overweight rating and set a $920 price target, implying substantial upside, while other analysts including KeyCorp and Rosenblatt also maintained positive ratings. JPMorgan reaffirms Meta rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta is expected to report third-quarter results on October 21. Investors will focus on advertising growth, user metrics, profitability, capital expenditures, and management’s outlook for AI infrastructure spending. Meta Q3 earnings estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta withdrew $25 million from a previously announced $65 million effort to support political candidates considered favorable to the AI industry. The move may reduce near-term spending but signals a change in its political strategy. Meta Withdraws $25 Million from Its Midterms Push
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst-related pressure is weighing on the stock after Goldman Sachs lowered its expectations and Meta was reported down following an analyst downgrade, countering the more bullish JPMorgan view. Meta stock price down on analyst downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that AI infrastructure spending could reach approximately $205 billion in 2027. Heavy capital expenditures are reducing free cash flow, while potential legal charges and regulatory scrutiny add to earnings risk. Meta AI spending could hit $205 billion
• Negative Sentiment: Seven U.S. senators are questioning Meta’s claim of $6.6 billion in research tax credits for AI data centers, creating potential tax liability and reputational risk. Senators question Meta AI data-center tax credits

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on META shares. Raymond James Financial increased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $650.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. President Capital raised shares of Meta Platforms from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $660.00 to $897.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $930.00 to $950.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Phillip Securities raised shares of Meta Platforms from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $795.00 to $750.00 in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $808.88.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In related news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total transaction of $21,359,386.56. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $728.10, for a total value of $688,782.60. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 6,932 shares in the company, valued at $5,047,189.20. This represents a 12.01% 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 have sold a total of 149,797 shares of company stock valued at $102,180,385 in the last 90 days. 13.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Meta Platforms Stock Down 3.7%

META stock opened at $709.33 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $655.78 and a 200-day moving average price of $625.86. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month 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 capitalization of $1.81 trillion, a P/E ratio of 26.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.19.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). The company had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $7.14 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a $0.5250 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio is presently 7.91%.

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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