Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock Position Lifted by HB Wealth Management LLC

Key Points

• HB Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Meta by 7.1% to 94,184 shares, worth about $62.17 million, as part of a landscape where roughly 79.9% of the stock is held by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
• Meta beat Q1 expectations (EPS $10.44 vs. $6.67; revenue $56.31B, +33.1% YoY) and is emphasizing AI-driven ad tools and strategic AI/robotics hires, but a sizable 2026 CapEx increase for AI data centers and continued Reality Labs losses have rattled investors.
• Sell‑side analysts show a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $840.67 (majority Buy/Strong Buy ratings), while insiders have sold roughly 167,155 shares (about $107M) over the past 90 days.

HB Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 7.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 94,184 shares of the social networking company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,273 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $62,170,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in META. State Street Corp grew its position in Meta Platforms by 1.9% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 86,925,674 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $64,158,971,000 after purchasing an additional 1,650,435 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S purchased a new position in Meta Platforms during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,191,175,000. Concentrum Wealth Management grew its position in Meta Platforms by 948.7% during the third quarter. Concentrum Wealth Management now owns 1,243,577 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $913,000 after purchasing an additional 1,124,998 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its position in Meta Platforms by 209.3% during the third quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 430,434 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $314,340,000 after purchasing an additional 824,276 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new position in Meta Platforms during the third quarter valued at approximately $540,634,000. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on META shares. DA Davidson lifted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $800.00 target price (down from $880.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $930.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $885.00 to $820.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Four 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $840.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 629 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $670.84, for a total value of $421,958.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 2,372 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,591,232.48. The trade was a 20.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $667.00, for a total transaction of $386,860.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 3,847 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,565,949. The trade was a 13.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 167,155 shares of company stock valued at $107,067,129 over the last 90 days. 13.61% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat & AI ad momentum — Meta reported robust Q1 revenue and EPS, and management highlighted AI-driven ad tools and full‑stack model+chip co‑design that are expanding ad automation and advertiser reach. Meta Does Things Their Own Way
• Positive Sentiment: Robotics/AI talent add — Meta acquired humanoid‑robot startup Assured Robot Intelligence to accelerate robotics model optimization, signaling product diversification in AI/robotics. WSJ: Meta Acquires Assured Robot Intelligence
• Positive Sentiment: Energy and creator initiatives — Meta is signing energy partnerships (space solar/long‑duration storage) to secure power for compute-heavy AI centers and piloting stablecoin creator payouts — moves that support long‑term AI scale and monetization. AI drives growth (context)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst reactions mixed — Some firms (e.g., Stifel) trimmed price targets but retained “buy”; others raised targets on longer‑term AI upside. These tweaks sustain divergent Wall Street views on valuation vs. heavy CapEx. Benzinga: Analyst Moves
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider sales disclosed — COO Javier Oliván sold shares under a Rule 10b5‑1 plan; routine but notable given market noise. SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Large CapEx raise spooks investors — Meta lifted 2026 capital expenditure guidance materially (now targeting major AI data‑center buildout), prompting concerns about near‑term free‑cash‑flow and returns; that is the primary reason the stock has been sold. Reuters: CapEx & market reaction
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/legal pressure — Threats to pull apps from New Mexico over child‑safety rules and US senators’ scrutiny over ad removals amplify litigation/compliance risk and potential costs. Reuters: Lawmaker Scrutiny
• Negative Sentiment: Reality Labs losses & deal setbacks — Continued multi‑billion losses in Reality Labs and a blocked Manus acquisition in China highlight near‑term cash drag and execution risks on speculative bets. CNBC: Reality Labs Loss

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of Meta Platforms stock opened at $608.74 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $629.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $647.93. The company has a current ratio of 2.35, a quick ratio of 2.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year high of $796.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.54 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.13, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.67 by $3.77. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 32.84% and a return on equity of 36.93%. The business had revenue of $56.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $55.56 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $6.43 earnings per share. Meta Platforms's revenue for the quarter was up 33.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 30.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th were paid a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is presently 7.63%.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

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.

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