Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock Position Reduced by Crow s Nest Holdings LP

Key Points

• Crow’s Nest Holdings reduced its Meta position by 34% in the second quarter, selling 21,750 shares and retaining 42,250 shares worth approximately $23.8 million. Meta still represents 7.2% of the fund’s portfolio.
• Other institutional investors increased their holdings, including Lakewood Capital Management, which raised its position by 63.7%. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 79.91% of Meta’s outstanding shares.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with Meta carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $785.90. The company reported 28% year-over-year revenue growth but missed quarterly earnings estimates, while its $0.525-per-share dividend implies a 0.3% yield.

Crow s Nest Holdings LP trimmed its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 34.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 42,250 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 21,750 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises 7.2% of Crow s Nest Holdings LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Crow s Nest Holdings LP's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $23,799,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 18.6% during the 2nd quarter. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd now owns 18,777 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $10,577,000 after purchasing an additional 2,939 shares during the last quarter. Madison Wealth Partners Inc raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 33.6% in the 2nd quarter. Madison Wealth Partners Inc now owns 3,031 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $1,707,000 after acquiring an additional 763 shares during the period. William John Sempolinski purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $3,107,000. Sone Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 38.2% in the 2nd quarter. Sone Capital Management LLC now owns 16,059 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $9,046,000 after acquiring an additional 4,440 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lakewood Capital Management LP raised its position 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 period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on META shares. Rosenblatt Securities restated a "buy" rating and set a $886.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $820.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Phillip Securities upgraded Meta Platforms from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $795.00 to $750.00 in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Wolfe Research reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $700.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded Meta Platforms from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $785.90.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of META opened at $751.66 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $615.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $612.83. 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 capitalization of $1.91 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.31, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.25. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $520.26 and a 1 year high of $779.82.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). The firm had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $7.14 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.5250 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is 7.91%.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Muse momentum remains the main bullish catalyst. Early reviews, rising user traction and Meta’s new early-access program for upcoming Muse features are reinforcing expectations that the AI assistant could become a major consumer product and future revenue stream. Meta opens early access program for new Muse features
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are raising price targets. Deutsche Bank, TD Cowen, Canaccord Genuity and other firms lifted targets and maintained bullish ratings, citing Muse’s potential to expand Meta beyond advertising through subscriptions, commerce and AI services. Meta price targets raised as Muse gains momentum
• Positive Sentiment: AI hardware could broaden Muse’s distribution. Meta is integrating Muse into Ray-Ban AI glasses and introducing additional wearable and VR products, creating potential new hardware, services and commerce opportunities.
• Neutral Sentiment: Friday’s decline appears largely technical. After rising roughly 36% during September and approaching a $2 trillion market value, Meta faced profit-taking and a pullback from recent highs. Bullish options activity suggests some traders continue to view the weakness as a buying opportunity.
• Neutral Sentiment: Large capital spending remains a key debate. Investors are encouraged by Meta’s AI strategy but remain uncertain whether heavy spending on infrastructure and Reality Labs will generate sufficient returns.
• Negative Sentiment: New Mexico litigation adds regulatory risk. A jury found that Meta misled state residents in a case related to the Cambridge Analytica data scandal, potentially increasing legal costs and scrutiny. Meta misled consumers in New Mexico jury case
• Negative Sentiment: A Muse security vulnerability was identified. Meta is adding clearer safety warnings after a vulnerability reportedly could expose sensitive user information, raising concerns about trust and adoption of its AI agent. Meta bolsters Muse safety warning after vulnerability
• Negative Sentiment: Competition and monetization obstacles remain. Amazon blocked Muse from accessing its platform, while privacy concerns around camera-equipped glasses and skepticism toward new AI hardware could limit Meta’s growth plans.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling adds a cautionary signal. Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares and COO Javier Olivan sold shares under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans. The transactions do not necessarily indicate reduced confidence, but they add to concerns after the stock’s rapid advance.

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In other news, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total transaction of $2,002,514.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 6,271 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,875,854.26. The trade was a 34.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 40,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total transaction of $28,510,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 184,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. The trade was a 17.82% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 123,333 shares of company stock valued at $80,795,845. Insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc develops technologies that help people connect, communicate and build communities online. The company's principal products include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and digital communication.

Meta generates most of its business through advertising displayed across its family of apps. It also develops artificial intelligence technologies, business messaging tools and hardware and software through its Reality Labs division, including Quest virtual- and mixed-reality devices and related experiences.

The company was founded as Facebook in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and was renamed Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect its broader focus on building the metaverse.

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