Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock: Snider Financial Group Decreases Holdings

Key Points

• Snider Financial Group reduced its Meta stake by 11.1% in the third quarter, selling 1,978 shares and retaining 15,857 shares valued at approximately $11.5 million. Institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of Meta’s outstanding stock.
• Wall Street remains broadly bullish, with an average “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $811.24; UBS raised its target to $884.00.
• Meta reported 28% year-over-year revenue growth but missed quarterly EPS expectations, while elevated AI capital spending, possible margin pressure and valuation remain key risks. Insiders have also sold more than $101 million in stock over the past 90 days.

Snider Financial Group cut its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 11.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,857 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 1,978 shares during the period. Meta Platforms makes up 2.8% of Snider Financial Group's investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Snider Financial Group's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $11,499,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mosley Wealth Management grew its position in Meta Platforms by 14.4% during the third quarter. Mosley Wealth Management now owns 2,537 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $1,869,000 after buying an additional 319 shares during the period. Parisi Gray Wealth Management grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Parisi Gray Wealth Management now owns 10,565 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $7,662,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised its position in Meta Platforms by 4.9% during the third quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 489,675 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $355,765,000 after acquiring an additional 22,743 shares during the last quarter. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,426 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $2,485,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC increased its position in Meta Platforms by 0.8% during the third quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 15,373 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $11,148,000 after buying an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on META. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $715.00 to $884.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. Bank of America reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $810.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Meta Platforms from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $800.00 price objective (down from $850.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Roth Capital lowered their price target on Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $811.24.

Meta Platforms News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s advertising business is viewed as benefiting from improved ad performance, distribution scale and the company’s ability to monetize its large user base. Strong ad growth could support the bullish case if management also demonstrates disciplined spending. Accelerating Ad Business and Distribution Scale Create Compelling Value at Meta Platforms
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s earnings report is being treated as an important test of investor confidence in the AI trade after a sell-off in semiconductor and other AI-related stocks. Evidence that AI investments are driving advertising, engagement or new products could improve sentiment across the sector. Week Ahead: Meta, Tesla Earnings to Test AI Trade
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta is considered relatively attractively valued versus some social-media peers, including Reddit, but the stock’s premium valuation leaves limited room for an earnings miss. Are You Overpaying for Reddit Stock Versus Its Rivals?
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta’s planned large AI data center in Louisiana could support long-term computing capacity and local hiring, although the project also underscores the company’s substantial capital-expenditure requirements. Louisiana Residents Are Training for Jobs at Meta’s Largest-Ever AI Data Center
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts are highlighting elevated capital expenditures, potential margin pressure and a demanding valuation as key risks ahead of earnings. Any indication that AI spending is accelerating faster than monetization could weigh on the shares. Should You Buy, Sell, or Hold META Stock Before Q3 Earnings Release?
• Negative Sentiment: Meta apologized after suspending the “No Kings” Instagram account, creating a limited reputational and content-moderation overhang. Separately, scrutiny of always-listening AI wearables raises longer-term privacy and legal risks for Meta’s device strategy. Meta Apologizes After Suspending “No Kings” Instagram Account

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In other news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $462,024. The trade was a 90.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 6,271 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,875,854.26. The trade was a 34.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 148,331 shares of company stock valued at $101,233,569 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Trading Down 0.5%

META opened at $705.44 on Tuesday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $779.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.23 and a quick ratio of 2.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.80 trillion, a PE ratio of 26.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.19. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $657.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $627.42.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $7.14 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

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

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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