Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock: Carnegie Investment Counsel Reduces Stake

Key Points

• Carnegie Investment Counsel reduced its Meta stake by 1.7%, selling 2,433 shares and retaining 140,366 shares worth approximately $99 million. Institutional investors collectively own about 79.91% of Meta’s stock.
• Meta’s latest quarter exceeded expectations, with revenue rising 26.1% year over year to $64.6 billion and earnings of $7.40 per share versus the $6.54 consensus estimate.
• Analysts remain broadly positive: Meta has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $833.12, although some firms have adjusted their targets in both directions.

Carnegie Investment Counsel reduced its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 1.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 140,366 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 2,433 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises approximately 1.9% of Carnegie Investment Counsel's holdings, making the stock its 10th largest position. Carnegie Investment Counsel's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $99,014,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Advantage Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Horizons Wealth Management bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

META has been the subject of several research reports. Moffett Nathanson dropped their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $740.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $850.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday. Raymond James Financial boosted their target price 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. Bank of America boosted their target price on Meta Platforms from $810.00 to $845.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Meta Platforms from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $833.12.

Key Headlines 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

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total value of $2,002,514.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 6,271 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,875,854.26. The trade was a 34.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 149,906 shares of company stock worth $102,347,409 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Meta Platforms stock opened at $642.62 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 quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The firm's fifty day moving average is $664.40 and its 200 day moving average is $629.72. The company has a market cap of $1.64 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.91, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.19.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 21st. The social networking company reported $7.40 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.86. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 31.15% and a return on equity of 30.73%. The business had revenue of $64.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $63.34 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $7.25 EPS. The business's revenue was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.86 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. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a $0.5250 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.91%.

Meta Platforms 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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