Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock Position Increased by Orange Investment Advisors Inc.

Key Points

• Orange Investment Advisors increased its Meta stake by 16.1% in the third quarter, adding 2,420 shares for a total of 17,436 shares valued at approximately $12.6 million. Institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of Meta’s stock.
• Analysts maintain a favorable outlook, with Meta receiving a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $833.12, despite several firms recently adjusting their targets.
• Meta exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $7.40 in EPS and $64.60 billion in revenue, while revenue grew 26.1% year over year. Shares opened at $614.99, down 1.5%, and the company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share.

Orange Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 16.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 17,436 shares of the social networking company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,420 shares during the period. Meta Platforms comprises approximately 1.6% of Orange Investment Advisors Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Orange Investment Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $12,644,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of META. State Street Corp lifted its stake in 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 boosted its holdings 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 valued at $12,036,491,000 after buying an additional 2,673,494 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% during 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 last quarter. Amundi raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 18.1% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 11,858,972 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $6,784,873,000 after purchasing an additional 1,815,017 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 10,429,812 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $5,964,745,000 after purchasing an additional 404,948 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on META shares. DA Davidson upped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $700.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Tigress Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating and set a $945.00 price objective (down from $995.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Roth Capital lowered their target price on Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price target on Meta Platforms from $930.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Moffett Nathanson cut their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $740.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $833.12.

Meta Platforms Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $614.99 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.57 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.97, a PEG ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.19. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year high of $779.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a current ratio of 1.90. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $670.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $632.26.

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

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a dividend of $0.5250 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is currently 7.16%.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta settled a teen lawsuit alleging that Instagram and Facebook contributed to addiction, depression and eating disorders. Financial terms were not disclosed, but the agreement removes Meta from an upcoming Los Angeles trial and reduces near-term litigation uncertainty. Reuters settlement report
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s advertising fundamentals remain strong: recent coverage cited higher ad pricing, rising impressions, improved AI-driven ad conversions and strong engagement. Analysts also see meaningful upside, with one fair-value estimate raised from $813.65 to $848.38 per share. Meta fair value report
• Positive Sentiment: Meta expanded its relationship with Advanced Micro Devices, including a $1 billion equity investment and multi-generation chip co-design for Meta’s AI data centers. The deal may improve access to computing capacity and supplier diversification. AMD and Meta partnership report

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $640.00, for a total value of $605,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 5,040 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,225,600. This trade represents a 15.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 150,015 shares of company stock valued at $102,464,300. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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