Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock Holdings Lifted by Gryphon Financial Partners LLC

Key Points

• Gryphon Financial Partners increased its Meta stake by 3.3% in the second quarter to 31,757 shares worth approximately $17.9 million. Institutional investors own 79.91% of Meta’s outstanding stock.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $785.22, although some analysts recently lowered their targets.
• Meta reported quarterly revenue of $60.8 billion, up 28% year over year and above estimates, but earnings per share of $6.18 fell short of the $7.19 consensus. Meanwhile, insiders sold nearly 33,000 shares worth about $19.2 million during the last quarter.

Gryphon Financial Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 3.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 31,757 shares of the social networking company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,029 shares during the period. Meta Platforms comprises about 1.6% of Gryphon Financial Partners LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $17,889,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of META. RHL Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Advantage Trust Co purchased a new position in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Niles Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on META shares. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $815.00 to $725.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Phillip Securities raised shares of Meta Platforms to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $785.00 price objective (down from $800.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities boosted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $883.00 to $886.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $785.22.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta opened paid developer access to Muse Spark 1.3, with company executives and analysts claiming the model is approaching or matching offerings from Anthropic and OpenAI. Improved performance and token efficiency could support adoption in coding agents, model APIs, subscriptions and future generative-search advertising. Meta Platforms: Muse Spark 1.3 Was The Warning Shot
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage identifies Muse Spark 1.3 as a new catalyst that could improve confidence in Meta’s AI roadmap and help the company recover toward its prior highs, provided the technology translates into revenue and returns on investment. Meta Rises 4% as Muse Spark 1.3 Claims Parity with Anthropic and OpenAI
• Positive Sentiment: Some investment commentary views Meta as a major beneficiary of the ongoing AI infrastructure and computing cycle, alongside other hyperscalers, potentially creating a long-term growth opportunity. Hyperscalers Are the Backbone of AI

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 3,348 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $600.97, for a total value of $2,012,047.56. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 9,498 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,708,013.06. This represents a 26.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Curtis Mahoney sold 1,559 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total value of $869,922.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 1,957 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,092,006. This represents a 44.34% 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. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 32,987 shares of company stock valued at $19,202,995. Insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

META stock opened at $616.77 on Monday. 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 stock has a market cap of $1.57 trillion, a P/E ratio of 23.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.25. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $596.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $609.05. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $520.26 and a 52 week high of $790.80.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The company had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $7.14 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc NASDAQ: META, formerly Facebook, Inc, is a global technology company best known for building social networking services and immersive computing platforms. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Menlo Park, California, the company operates a family of consumer-facing products and services that connect users, creators and businesses. In October 2021 the company rebranded as Meta to reflect an expanded strategic focus on augmented and virtual reality technologies alongside its social media businesses.

Meta's core consumer products include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and community building across mobile and desktop devices.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding META? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.