Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock Sold by Andra AP fonden

Key Points

• Andra AP fonden reduced its Meta Platforms stake by 12.5% in the second quarter, selling 40,600 shares and retaining 284,301 shares valued at approximately $160.1 million. Institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of Meta’s stock.
• Meta insiders sold 151,882 shares worth roughly $103 million over the past quarter, including significant sales by CTO Andrew Bosworth and insider Christopher Cox under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with the stock receiving a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $787.86. Meta also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share, while its latest quarterly earnings missed estimates despite 28% year-over-year revenue growth.

Andra AP fonden cut its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 12.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 284,301 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 40,600 shares during the period. Meta Platforms comprises approximately 1.8% of Andra AP fonden's investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Andra AP fonden's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $160,144,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Advantage Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Niles Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at about $32,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Meta Platforms in the first quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Meta Platforms news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company's stock, valued at $462,024. The trade was a 90.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total value of $28,510,400.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. This represents a 17.82% 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 151,882 shares of company stock worth $103,032,319 over the last quarter. Insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of META stock opened at $725.93 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.85 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.34, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm's 50 day moving average is $622.86 and its 200 day moving average is $615.28. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month high of $779.82.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $7.14 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 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. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a dividend of $0.5250 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio is 7.91%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on META. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $920.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $700.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Citigroup reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, September 24th. President Capital raised Meta Platforms from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $660.00 to $897.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Finally, CICC Research lowered their target price on Meta Platforms from $773.00 to $700.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Three 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $787.86.

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s free Muse personal AI agent has reportedly surpassed 5 million downloads, reinforcing the company’s lead in consumer AI. JPMorgan says Meta’s free-access strategy could pressure subscription-based rivals and potentially create a valuable new advertising and commerce channel. Zuckerberg's Free AI Agent Hit 5 Million Downloads
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentators remain optimistic that Meta can convert AI adoption into revenue. The company is expanding its Muse platform for small businesses, linking AI tools with advertising, sales and operations, which could improve ad targeting and accelerate advertiser spending. META Expands Muse for Small Businesses
• Positive Sentiment: A recent analyst upgrade helped support the stock, while strategists describe Meta as a potential beneficiary of the next phase of the AI trade because it is using AI to strengthen an existing advertising business rather than relying solely on infrastructure spending. Meta Stock Jumps Following Analyst Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Meta reportedly signed a $27 billion AI-capacity agreement with Nebius, highlighting continued demand for computing resources and the company’s commitment to scaling its AI capabilities. Nebius Group Signs AI Capacity Deal with Meta
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta’s strong September performance reflected enthusiasm over Muse, which reportedly outpaced ChatGPT in Apple’s App Store downloads. However, investors are now focused on how quickly the company can monetize the service and whether the recent rally has already priced in much of the good news. Meta Stock Enjoys Best Month on AI Momentum
• Negative Sentiment: OpenAI’s launch of Dots introduces a significant competitor in personal AI agents. Google, Apple and other startups are also entering the market, raising questions about customer retention, pricing and the cost of defending Muse’s early lead. OpenAI Follows Meta into Personal AI Agents
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned about Meta’s more than $130 billion AI investment program, declining free cash flow and the possibility that data-center capacity will eventually exceed demand. A report also questioned the company’s use of tax credits for AI data-center costs, creating potential tax and reputational exposure. How Meta Uses AI Data Centers to Avoid Federal Taxes
• Negative Sentiment: Reports of insider selling, including transactions by CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Javier Olivan under a pre-arranged trading plan, may weigh modestly on sentiment, although the sales do not necessarily indicate deteriorating fundamentals. Meta Platforms Insider Sold Shares
• Negative Sentiment: Meta has also disputed claims that Muse accessed private messages without permission. Even if the allegation is unfounded, renewed privacy concerns could increase regulatory scrutiny and slow adoption of the product. Meta Disputes Muse Privacy Claim

Meta Platforms Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.

Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.

Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.

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