Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock: Parkside Investments LLC Decreases Stake

Key Points

• Parkside Investments LLC cut its Meta stake by 90.9% in the third quarter, selling 21,900 shares and retaining 2,200 shares worth approximately $1.6 million. Other institutional investors increased their positions, and institutions collectively own 79.91% of Meta.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish: Meta has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $833.12, despite some target reductions.
• Meta reported strong third-quarter results, with revenue rising 26.1% year over year to $64.6 billion and earnings of $7.40 per share. However, escalating AI infrastructure spending, negative free cash flow, legal exposure and insider selling remain key risks.

Parkside Investments LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 90.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,200 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 21,900 shares during the period. Parkside Investments LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $1,595,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 18.6% in the 2nd quarter. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd now owns 18,777 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $10,577,000 after acquiring an additional 2,939 shares during the period. Madison Wealth Partners Inc lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 33.6% during the 2nd quarter. Madison Wealth Partners Inc now owns 3,031 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $1,707,000 after purchasing an additional 763 shares during the last quarter. William John Sempolinski bought a new stake in Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at about $3,107,000. Sone Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 38.2% in the second quarter. Sone Capital Management LLC now owns 16,059 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $9,046,000 after purchasing an additional 4,440 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lakewood Capital Management LP grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 63.7% in the second quarter. Lakewood Capital Management LP now owns 115,985 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $65,333,000 after purchasing an additional 45,130 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $800.00 price target (down from $850.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $920.00 to $940.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $895.00 to $905.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Citic Securities reduced their price target on Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $718.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $840.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Meta Platforms has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $833.12.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Meta Platforms news, insider Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total transaction of $28,510,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 184,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. This trade represents a 17.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a 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, CFO Susan Li sold 9,196 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 13,186 shares in the company, valued at $7,260,343.46. The trade was a 41.09% decrease in their position. 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 have sold 149,906 shares of company stock worth $102,347,409 in the last quarter. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q3 operating performance: Meta reported $64.6 billion in revenue, up 26% year over year, and adjusted earnings of $7.40 per share versus expectations of roughly $6.54. AI-driven recommendations and advertising tools are improving engagement, ad pricing and conversions. META Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Muse adoption supports the AI thesis: Meta’s Muse AI agent has surpassed 10 million downloads, strengthening the case that the company could eventually monetize AI through subscriptions, enterprise services and additional advertising. However, meaningful revenue contribution is expected later, potentially from 2027 onward. Meta Muse Adoption
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly constructive: UBS, Citigroup, Mizuho, JPMorgan, Bank of America and other firms raised or reaffirmed bullish ratings and price targets, citing resilient advertising growth and long-term AI potential. Some investors, including commentator Mike Khouw, view the selloff as a buying opportunity. Why Mike Khouw Is Buying Meta
• Neutral Sentiment: New Class C shares and a 2-for-1 split: Meta plans to issue one non-voting Class C share for each Class A and Class B share. The move should improve trading liquidity and give Mark Zuckerberg greater flexibility to sell shares or finance AI investment without surrendering voting control, but it does not by itself create economic value for shareholders. Meta’s New Non-Voting Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: Commercial terms delayed: Meta postponed controversial terms that publishers and advertisers said could authorize broader web scraping, moving implementation to November 20 from October 30. The delay may reduce near-term friction, though the underlying regulatory and customer concerns remain. Meta Delays Commercial Terms
• Negative Sentiment: AI spending is the main pressure: Meta lifted the lower end of its 2026 capital-expenditure forecast to $135 billion, with spending potentially reaching $145 billion. Free cash flow turned negative as infrastructure investment accelerated, while credit-default-swap costs reached records. Investors are questioning when Muse and other AI projects will generate returns. Meta AI Spending and Free Cash Flow
• Negative Sentiment: Legal and regulatory risks remain significant: Meta faces a $25 billion New Mexico privacy judgment, additional lawsuits alleging harm to children and scam advertising, and rising legal costs. The company plans to appeal the New Mexico ruling, but the liabilities add uncertainty and pressure margins. Meta New Mexico Privacy Judgment

Meta Platforms Price Performance

NASDAQ META opened at $642.62 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 2.23. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $664.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $629.72. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $520.26 and a 1 year high of $779.82. The company has a market cap of $1.64 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.91, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.19.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 21st. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.86. The business had revenue of $64.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.34 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 30.73% and a net margin of 31.15%. The company's revenue was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $7.25 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

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