Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock: Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH Raises Position

Key Points

• Fort Washington Investment Advisors increased its Meta stake by 0.8% in the third quarter, holding 938,148 shares valued at approximately $680.3 million. Meta represents about 3.3% of the firm’s portfolio, while institutional investors own 79.91% of Meta’s stock.
• Meta’s AI momentum remains a major focus, with the release of its open-weight Muse Spark Open model, an Apple collaboration to run it locally on Macs, and strong benchmark results for Muse Wonder. However, investors remain concerned about more than $130 billion in AI spending, Reality Labs losses, legal costs and potential tax scrutiny.
• Analysts maintain a generally bullish outlook, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $803.39. Meta shares opened at $736.72, near their 52-week high of $779.82, while recent insider sales were conducted under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans.

Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 0.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 938,148 shares of the social networking company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,182 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms makes up approximately 3.3% of Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH's investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $680,326,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta released the open-weight Muse Spark Open model for coding and AI-agent tasks. The model can be downloaded and adapted by developers, broadening Meta’s reach in the AI ecosystem. Meta releases open-weight Muse Spark model for coding and agentic tasks
• Positive Sentiment: An Apple collaboration will enable developers to run Muse Spark Open locally on high-end Mac computers, potentially reducing reliance on cloud infrastructure and increasing model adoption. Apple and Meta team up to make Muse AI model run on Mac computers
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s Muse Wonder model scored 83.2% on an accounting AI benchmark, tying for second place and outperforming OpenAI and Google models in that test. Bank of America maintained a Buy rating and an $810 target, while Guggenheim raised its target to $850. Meta Is Back in the AI Race
• Positive Sentiment: Meta- and Google-backed Jio Platforms is preparing a major Indian IPO, which could provide visibility into the value of Meta’s strategic investment and partnership in the business. Meta- and Google-backed Jio Platforms IPO
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta has outperformed megacap peers and gained roughly 12% over the past month, increasing investor focus on whether the recent AI-driven rally can continue or whether some holders will take profits. Meta Just Climbed 12% in a Month
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that Meta’s more than $130 billion AI investment program is reducing free cash flow, while Reality Labs continues to generate large losses. A roughly $10 billion legal charge and uncertainty around 2027 capital spending could add pressure ahead of the company’s expected October 21 earnings report. Meta: The Muse Rally Has Priced In the Good News Before Q3
• Negative Sentiment: Seven Democratic senators are seeking an explanation for Meta’s claimed $6.6 billion in research tax credits related to AI data centers, creating potential tax and policy risks for Meta and other large technology companies. Senators Want to Know Why Meta Claimed $6.6 Billion in Research Tax Credits
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs reduced its price target to $762 because of rising operating expenses, though it retained a Buy rating. A COO’s disclosed sales were made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and are therefore a limited signal of management sentiment.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Meta Platforms from $710.00 to $875.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Roth Capital reduced their price objective on Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. DZ Bank reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $920.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, September 24th. Finally, Bank of America reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $810.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $803.39.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 value of $21,359,386.56. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $728.10, for a total value of $688,782.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 6,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,047,189.20. The trade was a 12.01% 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 149,797 shares of company stock worth $102,180,385 in the last three months. 13.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ META opened at $736.72 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.88 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.75, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.23 and a quick ratio of 2.23. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year high of $779.82. The business has a 50-day moving average of $653.44 and a 200-day moving average of $625.27.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). The firm had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $7.14 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a dividend of $0.5250 per share. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.91%.

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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