Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock: Formidable Asset Management LLC Reduces Stake

Key Points

• Formidable Asset Management cut its Meta stake by 12% in the third quarter, selling 3,031 shares; it retained 22,308 shares valued at about $16.2 million.
• Analysts’ consensus rating is “Moderate Buy,” with a consensus price target of $833.12; ratings include 3 Strong Buys, 47 Buys, and 7 Holds.
• Meta beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting $7.40 per share and $64.6 billion in revenue, up 26.1% year over year.

Formidable Asset Management LLC decreased its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 12.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,308 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 3,031 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms accounts for about 2.3% of Formidable Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position. Formidable Asset Management LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $16,177,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Horizons Wealth Management bought a new position in Meta Platforms during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new position in Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 116.7% during the third quarter. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. now owns 52 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Axiom Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

META has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank raised their price objective on Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $820.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their target price on Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. CICC Research lowered their price target on Meta Platforms from $773.00 to $700.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 31st. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price target on Meta Platforms from $955.00 to $855.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Meta Platforms from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $833.12.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $614.15, for a total transaction of $580,985.90. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 4,094 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,514,330.10. This represents a 18.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 149,398 shares of company stock valued at $102,134,435 over the last 90 days. 13.42% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Latest Meta Platforms News

Here's some of the latest news about META:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan named Meta its preferred internet stock, citing AI’s contribution to advertising performance and potential growth in Family of Apps ad revenue. Article: Meta Platforms Wins JPMorgan Backing
• Positive Sentiment: Meta launched its Muse AI agent on Apple Watch and Wear OS, adding voice and text access that could broaden use of its assistant. Article: Meta's AI agent Muse lands on Apple Watch
• Neutral Sentiment: Infrastructure chief Santosh Janardhan is set to leave in early 2027, with former AWS executive David Brown slated to succeed him and lead infrastructure work tied to Meta’s AI computing initiative. The planned succession may support continuity, though the leadership change comes during a major infrastructure buildout. Article: Meta head of infrastructure will leave and be succeeded by former AWS cloud exec

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of META opened at $628.77 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a twelve month low of $520.26 and a twelve month high of $779.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.61 trillion, a P/E ratio of 21.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a 50 day moving average of $678.62 and a 200-day moving average of $632.12.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.34 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $7.25 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a $0.5250 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.16%.

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc. is a global technology company that develops social networking, messaging, and digital communication products. Its services include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Threads, which connect people and help businesses reach audiences around the world. The company also develops virtual and augmented reality products and technologies through its Reality Labs division, including Quest headsets and related software and services. Advertising is a central part of Meta's business, with its platforms providing tools for businesses to promote products and services.

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