Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock Sold by Cypress Asset Management Inc. TX

Key Points

• Cypress Asset Management reduced its Meta stake by 15.5% in the third quarter, selling 2,292 shares and retaining 12,468 shares valued at approximately $9.04 million. Institutional investors collectively own about 79.9% of Meta’s stock.
• Meta’s second-quarter revenue rose 28% year over year to $60.8 billion, but earnings per share missed estimates and free cash flow declined sharply as AI and data-center spending increased.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $791.86, although risks include AI monetization challenges, regulatory scrutiny, and insider selling.

Cypress Asset Management Inc. TX reduced its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 15.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,468 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 2,292 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms accounts for approximately 1.9% of Cypress Asset Management Inc. TX's portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Cypress Asset Management Inc. TX's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $9,042,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Horizons Wealth Management bought a new position in Meta Platforms in the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Advantage Trust Co purchased a new position in Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms during the first quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Advertising remains the core bullish argument. Meta’s revenue increased 28% year over year to $60.8 billion in fiscal second-quarter 2026, and micro-drama content is emerging as a potential source of incremental advertising demand. Why Meta is winning the micro drama wars
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive on Meta’s AI-driven growth. TD Cowen reaffirmed a Buy rating with an $865 price target, while Wells Fargo sees a path toward a substantially higher valuation if AI improves ad performance and creates new revenue streams. Meta Could Hit $1,000, Says Wells Fargo
• Positive Sentiment: Meta is expanding its AI ecosystem. The company’s Muse agent, enterprise AI platform and AI-enabled smart-glasses strategy could provide new commerce, productivity and hardware opportunities beyond traditional social-media advertising. Meta’s decision to ban ByteDance and TikTok advertising in several markets also intensifies its competitive positioning. Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s Decision to Pull the Trigger on Meta’s A.I. Agent
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta’s AI investment is producing both growth and financial strain. Revenue growth is strong, but free cash flow fell to $784 million from $8.55 billion a year earlier as data-center and AI infrastructure spending surged. Investors need evidence that Muse and other AI projects can eventually generate returns. Meta’s Sales Jumped 28% While Free Cash Flow Shrank
• Negative Sentiment: Muse faces adoption and monetization obstacles. Jefferies found that roughly one-third of tested websites blocked the agent, while Amazon reportedly blocked it, potentially delaying Meta’s plans to earn transaction fees from AI-powered commerce. Analysts also question whether the service can become profitable at scale. Meta’s Muse AI agent blocked by one-third of websites tested
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and reputational risks remain a drag. Florida is pursuing restrictions on teen access and infinite-scroll features, while criticism surrounding the film The Social Reckoning and Meta’s handling of harmful AI-generated content could increase scrutiny. A planned-transaction sale by COO Javier Olivan adds a modest insider-selling concern. Meta Stock Falls as Florida Asks a Court to Switch Off Infinite Scroll for Teens

Meta Platforms Stock Down 0.3%

NASDAQ META opened at $718.67 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $640.98 and a 200-day moving average price of $620.09. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a one year low of $520.26 and a one year high of $779.82. The company has a market capitalization of $1.83 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.23.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $7.14 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 EPS for the current fiscal 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 given a dividend of $0.5250 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a 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%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total transaction of $28,510,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 184,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at $131,515,624.16. The trade was a 17.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total value of $21,359,386.56. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 148,222 shares of company stock worth $101,033,627 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

META has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Piper Sandler increased their target price on Meta Platforms from $785.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. CICC Research lowered their price objective on Meta Platforms from $773.00 to $700.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price target on Meta Platforms from $680.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Tigress Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $945.00 target price (down from $995.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Finally, Evercore raised their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $860.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $791.86.

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 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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