Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock Sold by CenterBook Partners LP

Key Points

• CenterBook Partners cut its Meta stake by 51% in the third quarter, selling 38,739 shares and retaining 37,149 shares valued at about $26.9 million.
• Other institutional investors increased their holdings, and institutions collectively own 79.91% of Meta’s shares.
• Meta reported quarterly earnings of $7.40 per share and revenue of $64.6 billion, beating analyst expectations; analysts’ consensus rating is “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $833.12.

CenterBook Partners LP lowered its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 51.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 37,149 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 38,739 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises 1.2% of CenterBook Partners LP's portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. CenterBook Partners LP's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $26,940,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd grew 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 valued at $10,577,000 after buying an additional 2,939 shares during the last quarter. Madison Wealth Partners Inc boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 33.6% in the second 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 acquired a new position in Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at approximately $3,107,000. Sone Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 38.2% in the second quarter. Sone Capital Management LLC now owns 16,059 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $9,046,000 after acquiring an additional 4,440 shares during the period. Finally, Lakewood Capital Management LP boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 45,130 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on META shares. DZ Bank reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Loop Capital increased their target price on Meta Platforms from $740.00 to $955.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Truist Financial raised their target price on Meta Platforms from $763.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $750.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Arete Research lifted their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $735.00 to $806.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $833.12.

Meta Platforms Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of Meta Platforms stock opened at $628.77 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.90. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year high of $779.82. The business's fifty day moving average price is $678.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $632.12. The company has a market capitalization of $1.61 trillion, a P/E ratio of 21.44, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.28.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.86. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 30.73% and a net margin of 31.15%. The company had revenue of $64.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.34 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $7.25 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 26.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.01 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a $0.5250 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is presently 7.16%.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

These are some of the META headlines that stood out recently:

• Positive Sentiment: Meta launched its Muse AI agent on Apple Watch and Wear OS, adding voice and text access that could broaden use of its assistant. Article: Meta's AI agent Muse lands on Apple Watch
• Neutral Sentiment: Infrastructure chief Santosh Janardhan is set to leave in early 2027, with former AWS executive David Brown slated to succeed him and lead infrastructure work tied to Meta’s AI computing initiative. The planned succession may support continuity, though the leadership change comes during a major infrastructure buildout. Article: Meta head of infrastructure will leave and be succeeded by former AWS cloud exec
• Negative Sentiment: United Airlines barred AI agents from booking flights, raising doubts about a prominent potential use for Meta’s Muse agent and weighing on sentiment toward the company’s AI ambitions. Article: United Airlines bars AI agents from booking tickets

Insider Activity

In other Meta Platforms news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $614.15, for a total value of $580,985.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 4,094 shares in the company, valued at $2,514,330.10. This trade represents a 18.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 149,398 shares of company stock worth $102,134,435 over the last quarter. 13.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Meta Platforms Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc. is a global technology company that develops social networking, messaging, and digital communication products. Its services include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Threads, which connect people and help businesses reach audiences around the world. The company also develops virtual and augmented reality products and technologies through its Reality Labs division, including Quest headsets and related software and services. Advertising is a central part of Meta's business, with its platforms providing tools for businesses to promote products and services.

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