Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock Purchased by IRON Financial LLC

Key Points

• IRON Financial increased its Meta stake by 45.2% in the third quarter, owning 3,089 shares valued at approximately $2.24 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively hold 79.91% of Meta’s stock.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with Meta receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $833.12, despite some target-price revisions.
• Meta exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $7.40 in EPS and $64.60 billion in revenue, up 26.1% year over year. However, company insiders sold significant shares recently, including CFO and CTO transactions conducted under 10b5-1 plans.

IRON Financial LLC raised its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 45.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,089 shares of the social networking company's stock after acquiring an additional 962 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for about 0.9% of IRON Financial LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. IRON Financial LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $2,240,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of META. Straight Path Wealth Management boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 30.1% during the 3rd quarter. Straight Path Wealth Management now owns 665 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $482,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 1,051 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $762,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 2,781 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $2,017,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Orange Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Meta Platforms by 16.1% during the third quarter. Orange Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 17,436 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $12,644,000 after buying an additional 2,420 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Beacon Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 2.3% in the third quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 2,587 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $1,876,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on META. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $886.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Bank of America upped their price target on Meta Platforms from $810.00 to $845.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. HSBC lowered their target price on Meta Platforms from $905.00 to $830.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Meta Platforms from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $833.12.

Meta Platforms News Summary

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

In other news, CFO Susan Li sold 9,196 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total transaction of $5,063,409.56. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 13,186 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,260,343.46. The trade was a 41.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale 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, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total transaction of $4,379,184.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 828 shares in the company, valued at $462,024. This trade represents a 90.46% 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. 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 company insiders.

Meta Platforms Stock Down 1.5%

NASDAQ META opened at $614.99 on Friday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year high of $779.82. The company has a 50 day moving average of $670.03 and a 200-day moving average of $632.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The company has a market cap of $1.57 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.97, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.19.

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

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.16%.

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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