Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock Holdings Increased by LDIC Inc.

Key Points

• LDIC Inc. increased its Meta Platforms stake by 23.7% in the third quarter, acquiring 1,960 additional shares for a total of 10,234 shares valued at $7.42 million. Institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of META.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with Meta receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $801.53, despite some firms lowering targets because of rising expenses and AI investment concerns.
• Meta’s latest quarter showed 28% year-over-year revenue growth to $60.8 billion, although earnings of $6.18 per share missed estimates. Insiders also sold shares, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Javier Olivan, through pre-arranged trading plans.

LDIC Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 23.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,234 shares of the social networking company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,960 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for approximately 4.8% of LDIC Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. LDIC Inc.'s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $7,421,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of META. Auto Owners Insurance Co lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 76,587.7% in the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 105,292,277 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $69,502,379,000 after purchasing an additional 105,154,977 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.0% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 92,033,963 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $51,841,811,000 after purchasing an additional 3,510,123 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 14.6% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,038,035 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $12,036,491,000 after acquiring an additional 2,673,494 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 18,200,469 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $12,013,948,000 after purchasing an additional 1,046,715 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 12,836,063 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $7,230,426,000 after buying an additional 162,909 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on META shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $820.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $763.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $770.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Roth Capital decreased their price target on Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $720.00 to $580.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $801.53.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

META opened at $737.54 on Thursday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a twelve month low of $520.26 and a twelve month high of $779.82. The firm has a market cap of $1.88 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.78, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a fifty 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%. The business had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $7.14 EPS. The company's revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were given a $0.5250 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is presently 7.91%.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $728.10, for a total transaction of $688,782.60. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 6,932 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,047,189.20. This represents a 12.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed 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 firm's 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. 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. Insiders sold a total of 149,797 shares of company stock valued at $102,180,385 over the last three months. 13.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Meta Platforms News Summary

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.

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 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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