Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock: Riverbend Wealth Management LLC Decreases Holdings

Key Points

• Riverbend Wealth Management cut its Meta stake by 22.9% in the third quarter, selling 723 shares and retaining 2,437 shares valued at approximately $1.77 million. Institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of Meta.
• Meta insiders sold 148,331 shares worth roughly $101.2 million during the latest quarter, including sizable sales by CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Javier Olivan under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans.
• Meta shares opened at $709.33, while analysts maintained a broadly positive outlook with a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $808.88. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share.

Riverbend Wealth Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 22.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,437 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 723 shares during the period. Riverbend Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $1,767,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Advantage Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Horizons Wealth Management bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In related news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total transaction of $21,359,386.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $728.10, for a total transaction of $688,782.60. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 6,932 shares in the company, valued at $5,047,189.20. The trade was a 12.01% 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 sold a total of 148,331 shares of company stock valued at $101,233,569 in the last quarter. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

NASDAQ META opened at $709.33 on Monday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $655.78 and a 200 day simple moving average of $626.49. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a one year low of $520.26 and a one year high of $779.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.81 trillion, a P/E ratio of 26.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.23 and a quick ratio of 2.23.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued 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). Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%. The business had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $7.14 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were given a dividend of $0.5250 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.91%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

META has been the subject of several analyst reports. Mizuho set a $750.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $780.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Citic Securities decreased their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $718.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $800.00 price objective (down from $850.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $808.88.

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America expects Meta to exceed third-quarter revenue expectations, forecasting $63.8 billion versus a $63.3 billion consensus estimate, and maintained a Buy rating with an $810 price target. Meta expected to beat revenue forecasts as AI boosts advertising, says Bank of America
• Positive Sentiment: Meta released the open-weight Muse Spark model for coding and AI-agent tasks, while its collaboration with Apple enables developers to run the model locally on high-end Mac computers. The developments could broaden adoption of Meta’s AI technology and reduce reliance on cloud infrastructure. Meta releases open-weight Muse Spark model
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan reaffirmed its Overweight rating and set a $920 price target, implying substantial upside, while other analysts including KeyCorp and Rosenblatt also maintained positive ratings. JPMorgan reaffirms Meta rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta is expected to report third-quarter results on October 21. Investors will focus on advertising growth, user metrics, profitability, capital expenditures, and management’s outlook for AI infrastructure spending. Meta Q3 earnings estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta withdrew $25 million from a previously announced $65 million effort to support political candidates considered favorable to the AI industry. The move may reduce near-term spending but signals a change in its political strategy. Meta Withdraws $25 Million from Its Midterms Push
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst-related pressure is weighing on the stock after Goldman Sachs lowered its expectations and Meta was reported down following an analyst downgrade, countering the more bullish JPMorgan view. Meta stock price down on analyst downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that AI infrastructure spending could reach approximately $205 billion in 2027. Heavy capital expenditures are reducing free cash flow, while potential legal charges and regulatory scrutiny add to earnings risk. Meta AI spending could hit $205 billion
• Negative Sentiment: Seven U.S. senators are questioning Meta’s claim of $6.6 billion in research tax credits for AI data centers, creating potential tax liability and reputational risk. Senators question Meta AI data-center tax credits

About Meta Platforms

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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