Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock: First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. Raises Stake

Key Points

• First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. increased its Meta stake by 26.1% in the third quarter to 94,115 shares valued at approximately $68.25 million. Institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of Meta’s stock.
• Meta insiders sold significant shares under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, including 40,000 shares sold by Christopher Cox and 27,474 by Mark Zuckerberg; insiders sold about $102.2 million in stock over the past 90 days.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with Meta carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $801.53, although concerns persist about rising AI investment, operating costs and pressure on free cash flow.

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. raised its holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 26.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 94,115 shares of the social networking company's stock after buying an additional 19,491 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms accounts for 0.9% of First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.'s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $68,250,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Advantage Trust Co bought a new position in Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at $32,000. Horizons Wealth Management bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the first quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at about $36,000. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 40,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total transaction of $28,510,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 184,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at $131,515,624.16. This represents a 17.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total transaction of $21,359,386.56. 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 149,797 shares of company stock valued at $102,180,385 over the last ninety days. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s new Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full AI models are strengthening its competitive position. Muse Wonder ranked second in a 57-model accounting benchmark, ahead of OpenAI and Google models, supporting the view that Meta is narrowing the gap with leading AI developers. Muse Wonder benchmark article
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America reiterated its Buy rating and $810 price target, while Guggenheim raised its target to $850 and Truist maintained a bullish $1,000 target. Analysts cited Meta’s large user base, AI distribution and potential future revenue from personal AI agents. Bank of America AI outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Meta expanded WhatsApp with free guest voice and video calling for non-account holders, potentially improving adoption and business utility by removing registration and download barriers. WhatsApp guest calling article
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street remains broadly constructive but divided. KeyCorp and Rosenblatt reaffirmed bullish ratings with targets of $900 and $886, respectively, while Goldman Sachs cut its target from $860 to $762 but retained a Buy rating. The differing views reflect uncertainty over AI monetization and investment requirements.
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs cited rising operating expenses, while other commentary warned that accelerated Meta Superintelligence Labs investment could pressure free cash flow and lead to valuation compression around the upcoming third-quarter earnings report.
• Negative Sentiment: COO Javier Olivan disclosed sales totaling 1,575 shares at an average $728.10. Both transactions were conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing their signaling value, but the sales still represent a notable reduction in his direct holdings.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

NASDAQ META opened at $737.54 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.23. The company has a market capitalization of $1.88 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.19. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52-week low of $520.26 and a 52-week high of $779.82. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $650.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $623.78.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). The company had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%. 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 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were given a $0.5250 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis 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 currently 7.91%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on META shares. Moffett Nathanson decreased their target price on Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $740.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $820.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, September 25th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Meta Platforms from $785.00 to $875.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Evercore boosted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $860.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $801.53.

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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