Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock: Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Trims Position

Key Points

• Crossmark Global Holdings cut its Meta position by 11% in the third quarter, selling 13,151 shares and retaining 106,614 shares valued at approximately $77.3 million. Institutional investors still own nearly 80% of Meta’s outstanding stock.
• Meta delivered strong third-quarter results, with revenue rising 26.1% year over year to $64.6 billion and EPS of $7.40, beating expectations of $6.54. Analysts remain broadly bullish, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $833.12.
• Rising AI investment and legal risks remain key concerns: Meta’s 2026 capital expenditures could reach $145 billion, pressuring free cash flow, while the company faces significant privacy and other regulatory litigation. Insiders have also sold roughly $101.5 million of stock over the past 90 days.

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 11.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 106,614 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 13,151 shares during the period. Meta Platforms comprises 0.9% of Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.'s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $77,314,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Watchman Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.3% during the first quarter. Watchman Group Inc. now owns 5,091 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $2,913,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Penney Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 3.9% in the first quarter. Penney Financial LLC now owns 399 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $228,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,519 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $869,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Bill Few Associates Inc. increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. now owns 1,206 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $874,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Finally, Value Partners Investments Inc. grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 866 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $630,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms News Summary

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 Activity at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, CFO Susan Li sold 9,196 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total value 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. The trade was a 41.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through 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 company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,875,854.26. This represents a 34.07% decrease in their position. 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 sold 148,440 shares of company stock valued at $101,456,300 in the last 90 days. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on META. Arete Research lifted their target price on Meta Platforms from $735.00 to $806.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Loop Capital increased their price target on Meta Platforms from $740.00 to $955.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Citigroup raised their price target on Meta Platforms from $895.00 to $905.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. 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. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $950.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a 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 assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $833.12.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

NASDAQ META opened at $642.62 on Monday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $520.26 and a 1 year high of $779.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.90. The company has a market capitalization of $1.64 trillion, a PE ratio of 21.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a fifty day moving average of $664.40 and a 200 day moving average of $630.11.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $63.34 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 30.73% and a net margin of 31.15%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 26.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $7.25 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a dividend of $0.5250 per share. 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 7.16%.

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'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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