Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock Bought by Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd

Key Points

• Institutional ownership increased: Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management raised its Meta Platforms stake by 0.9% to 364,682 shares valued at approximately $264.5 million. Institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of the company.
• Analysts remain bullish: Meta has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $833.12, with several firms recently raising or reaffirming their targets.
• Strong quarterly results supported the outlook: Meta reported quarterly earnings of $7.40 per share and revenue of $64.6 billion, exceeding estimates and marking 26.1% year-over-year revenue growth. Shares opened at $642.62, while the company also maintains a $0.525 quarterly dividend.

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 0.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 364,682 shares of the social networking company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,185 shares during the period. Meta Platforms comprises 1.8% of Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $264,460,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in META. Corient Private Wealth LP boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 723.1% during the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 8,801,764 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $4,957,946,000 after purchasing an additional 7,732,446 shares during the last quarter. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new position in Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,948,486,000. State Street Corp grew 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 buying an additional 3,510,123 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 14.6% in the first 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 last quarter. Finally, Amundi increased its position in Meta Platforms by 18.1% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 11,858,972 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $6,784,873,000 after buying an additional 1,815,017 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Monness Crespi & Hardt restated a "buy" rating and set a $875.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $800.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $820.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, September 25th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $750.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $885.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $833.12.

Meta Platforms Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $642.62 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.64 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.91, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.19. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $664.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $629.72. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month high of $779.82. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 21st. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.86. The company had revenue of $64.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $63.34 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 30.73% and a net margin of 31.15%. Meta Platforms's revenue for the quarter was up 26.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $7.25 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.01 EPS for the current fiscal 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 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 7.91%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Susan Li sold 9,196 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total transaction of $5,063,409.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,186 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,260,343.46. This represents a 41.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total value of $28,510,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 184,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. The trade was a 17.82% 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. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 149,906 shares of company stock valued at $102,347,409. 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: Strong Q3 operating performance: Meta reported $64.6 billion in revenue, up 26% year over year, and adjusted earnings of $7.40 per share versus expectations of roughly $6.54. AI-driven recommendations and advertising tools are improving engagement, ad pricing and conversions. META Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Muse adoption supports the AI thesis: Meta’s Muse AI agent has surpassed 10 million downloads, strengthening the case that the company could eventually monetize AI through subscriptions, enterprise services and additional advertising. However, meaningful revenue contribution is expected later, potentially from 2027 onward. Meta Muse Adoption
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly constructive: UBS, Citigroup, Mizuho, JPMorgan, Bank of America and other firms raised or reaffirmed bullish ratings and price targets, citing resilient advertising growth and long-term AI potential. Some investors, including commentator Mike Khouw, view the selloff as a buying opportunity. Why Mike Khouw Is Buying Meta
• Neutral Sentiment: New Class C shares and a 2-for-1 split: Meta plans to issue one non-voting Class C share for each Class A and Class B share. The move should improve trading liquidity and give Mark Zuckerberg greater flexibility to sell shares or finance AI investment without surrendering voting control, but it does not by itself create economic value for shareholders. Meta’s New Non-Voting Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: Commercial terms delayed: Meta postponed controversial terms that publishers and advertisers said could authorize broader web scraping, moving implementation to November 20 from October 30. The delay may reduce near-term friction, though the underlying regulatory and customer concerns remain. Meta Delays Commercial Terms
• Negative Sentiment: AI spending is the main pressure: Meta lifted the lower end of its 2026 capital-expenditure forecast to $135 billion, with spending potentially reaching $145 billion. Free cash flow turned negative as infrastructure investment accelerated, while credit-default-swap costs reached records. Investors are questioning when Muse and other AI projects will generate returns. Meta AI Spending and Free Cash Flow
• Negative Sentiment: Legal and regulatory risks remain significant: Meta faces a $25 billion New Mexico privacy judgment, additional lawsuits alleging harm to children and scam advertising, and rising legal costs. The company plans to appeal the New Mexico ruling, but the liabilities add uncertainty and pressure margins. Meta New Mexico Privacy Judgment

About Meta Platforms

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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