Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock: Conning Inc. Grows Stake

Key Points

• Institutional ownership increased: Conning Inc. grew its Meta stake by 5% to 17,300 shares valued at $12.5 million, while institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of the company.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish: Meta has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating, with 47 Buy and three Strong Buy recommendations and an average price target of $833.12.
• Strong operating results face rising AI-investment concerns: Meta beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, with revenue up 26% year over year, but its planned capital spending and potential debt or preferred-share financing are raising questions about cash flow, returns and balance-sheet pressure.

Conning Inc. grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 5.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,300 shares of the social networking company's stock after purchasing an additional 831 shares during the quarter. Conning Inc.'s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $12,546,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp boosted its position 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 period. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 14.6% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,038,035 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $12,036,491,000 after acquiring an additional 2,673,494 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the second 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 worth $7,230,426,000 after acquiring an additional 162,909 shares during the period. Amundi increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 18.1% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 11,858,972 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $6,784,873,000 after acquiring an additional 1,815,017 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.0% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 10,429,812 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $5,964,745,000 after acquiring an additional 404,948 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on META. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price target on Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Citic Securities reduced their price objective on Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $718.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Meta Platforms from $920.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Meta Platforms from $775.00 to $820.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on Meta Platforms from $810.00 to $845.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $833.12.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

NASDAQ META opened at $606.73 on Tuesday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $671.17 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $632.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $779.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.55 trillion, a P/E ratio of 20.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.19.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.86. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 30.73% and a net margin of 31.15%. The business had revenue of $64.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $63.34 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $7.25 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a dividend of $0.5250 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is 7.16%.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s advertising business remains a key support. Revenue increased 26% in the latest quarter, and AI-driven improvements to ad targeting and engagement are helping Meta benefit even as AI agents pressure traditional search. Why AI is boosting Meta's ad business while hurting Google search
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to view Meta favorably, with the stock receiving a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating. The company’s long-term upside depends on whether its AI investments generate sufficient advertising and new-business growth. Meta Platforms Stock Now Rated Moderate Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta postponed new business-account terms after criticism that they could enable extensive scraping of news and other websites. The delay reduces immediate backlash but highlights ongoing concerns about AI data practices and potential regulation. Meta delays new business terms after outcry
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are increasingly focused on the scale and funding of Meta’s AI buildout. The company is reportedly considering at least $20 billion in bond offerings, while a separate 6.5% preferred-share issuance raises concerns about expensive capital, dilution-like effects, and balance-sheet pressure. Meta eyes at least $20 billion from potential bond offerings Meta 6.5% preferreds issuance
• Negative Sentiment: Large capital expenditures—projected at $135 billion to $145 billion for 2026—are raising questions about free cash flow, returns on AI investment, and possible shareholder dilution. Market pressure on major AI spenders has added to the stock’s weakness. Meta and Alphabet face market pressure over capital expenditures
• Negative Sentiment: Settlements involving alleged social-media addiction and harm to young users may limit litigation costs in the near term, but plaintiffs’ attorneys are still demanding product and safety changes, preserving regulatory and reputational risk. Attorney calls for meaningful changes after Meta and Snap settlements

Insider Activity

In related news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total transaction of $4,379,184.00. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 828 shares of the company's stock, valued at $462,024. This represents a 90.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 6,271 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,875,854.26. This trade represents a 34.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 149,515 shares of company stock worth $102,183,520 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

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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