Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock Holdings Increased by D.A. Davidson & CO.

Key Points

• D.A. Davidson increased its Meta stake by 4.8% in the third quarter, adding 4,439 shares to hold 96,817 shares valued at about $70.2 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 79.91% of Meta stock.
• Meta beat quarterly estimates, reporting earnings of $7.40 per share versus $6.54 expected and revenue of $64.6 billion, up 26.1% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive: Meta has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $833.12. The article also highlights concerns that rising AI investment and borrowing costs could pressure future cash flow.

D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 4.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 96,817 shares of the social networking company's stock after buying an additional 4,439 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.'s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $70,210,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Essential Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 269.5% in the 3rd quarter. Essential Investment Partners LLC now owns 909 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $659,000 after acquiring an additional 663 shares in the last quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 60.1% in the 3rd quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC now owns 140,420 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $101,830,000 after purchasing an additional 52,706 shares during the period. WPG Advisers LLC boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 1,786 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $1,295,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. North Dakota State Investment Board increased its holdings in Meta Platforms by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. North Dakota State Investment Board now owns 67,325 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $48,823,000 after purchasing an additional 2,395 shares in the last quarter. Finally, North Star Investment Management Corp. increased its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 6,102 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $4,425,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Stock Up 2.4%

Shares of META stock opened at $621.03 on Wednesday. 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 1 year low of $520.26 and a 1 year high of $779.82. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $672.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $632.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.59 trillion, a P/E ratio of 21.17, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.28.

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

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were given 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 of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is 7.16%.

Key Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s bond sale attracted orders reportedly reaching $58 billion, a sign of robust investor appetite for the company’s debt. That demand may have helped support the stock despite concerns about Big Tech’s AI spending. Article: Meta stock rises as $20B bond sale attracts strong investor demand
• Positive Sentiment: Meta completed a $15 billion, five-part U.S. bond sale. The successful issuance gives the company capital to support its investment plans, while recent earnings-call coverage highlighted ad growth and adoption of its Muse AI tools. Article: Meta raises $15 billion in five-part US bond sale Article: META Q3 Earnings Call Put Spotlight on Muse Growth and AI Spending
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta and Snap settled claims related to alleged harm to young users from social media; financial terms were not disclosed. The settlements avert the scheduled trial, but do not resolve broader scrutiny of platform design. Article: Snap Settled a Social Media Addiction Suit
• Negative Sentiment: The bond financing underscores the cost of Meta’s AI ambitions. Reports indicate borrowing costs rose, while the company is ramping up spending on data centers and AI models—raising questions about returns and pressure on future cash flow. Article: Apple Shares Slip, Meta Debt Costs Rise Article: Meta seeks to raise up to $25 billion in debt sale as AI spending jumps
• Negative Sentiment: Meta postponed new business terms after backlash over potential web scraping, and reports of its AI crawler overwhelming a small business website add to reputational and policy risks. Article: Meta delays new business terms after outcry over potential web scraping of news sites

Insider Activity

In related 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 transaction of $5,063,409.56. Following 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total transaction of $4,379,184.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $462,024. This represents a 90.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 149,515 shares of company stock valued at $102,183,520. 13.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on META shares. Bank of America lifted 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. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $885.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Yorkville Ives initiated coverage on Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $900.00 price objective for the company. CICC Research decreased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $773.00 to $700.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Meta Platforms from $780.00 to $880.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Three 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $833.12.

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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