Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock Sold by HBW Advisory Services LLC

Key Points

• HBW Advisory Services cut its Meta Platforms stake by 16% in the third quarter, selling 2,053 shares and retaining 10,788 shares valued at approximately $7.8 million.
• Institutional ownership remains high at 79.91%, with several firms adding to their positions. Insiders, however, sold about $102.2 million of Meta stock over the past 90 days.
• Analysts maintain a favorable outlook, with Meta holding a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $803.39. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share, while its latest earnings missed estimates despite 28% year-over-year revenue growth.

HBW Advisory Services LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 16.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,788 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 2,053 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises approximately 0.8% of HBW Advisory Services LLC's holdings, making the stock its 28th largest position. HBW Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $7,824,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. KG Capital Management lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.1% during the third quarter. KG Capital Management now owns 1,793 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $1,300,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.8% in the third quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 938,148 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $680,326,000 after acquiring an additional 7,182 shares during the period. B.A. Schrock Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,751,000. ASL Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the third quarter valued at approximately $209,000. Finally, Nolet Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 11.8% in the third quarter. Nolet Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,860 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $1,349,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief accounting officer owned 6,271 shares in the company, valued at $3,875,854.26. The trade was a 34.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at 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 business's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 21st. The shares were 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 directly owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at $131,515,624.16. This trade represents a 17.82% decrease in their position. 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 sold 149,797 shares of company stock valued at $102,180,385 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Trading Down 0.1%

Meta Platforms stock opened at $736.72 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $653.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $625.27. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month high of $779.82. The stock has a market cap of $1.88 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.19.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $7.14 EPS. Meta Platforms's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.76 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were paid 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 dividend payout ratio is presently 7.91%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

META has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wedbush boosted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Daiwa Securities Group cut their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $790.00 to $687.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $886.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $860.00 to $762.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $800.00 price target (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-five have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $803.39.

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta released the open-weight Muse Spark Open model for coding and AI-agent tasks. The model can be downloaded and adapted by developers, broadening Meta’s reach in the AI ecosystem. Meta releases open-weight Muse Spark model for coding and agentic tasks
• Positive Sentiment: An Apple collaboration will enable developers to run Muse Spark Open locally on high-end Mac computers, potentially reducing reliance on cloud infrastructure and increasing model adoption. Apple and Meta team up to make Muse AI model run on Mac computers
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s Muse Wonder model scored 83.2% on an accounting AI benchmark, tying for second place and outperforming OpenAI and Google models in that test. Bank of America maintained a Buy rating and an $810 target, while Guggenheim raised its target to $850. Meta Is Back in the AI Race
• Positive Sentiment: Meta- and Google-backed Jio Platforms is preparing a major Indian IPO, which could provide visibility into the value of Meta’s strategic investment and partnership in the business. Meta- and Google-backed Jio Platforms IPO
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta has outperformed megacap peers and gained roughly 12% over the past month, increasing investor focus on whether the recent AI-driven rally can continue or whether some holders will take profits. Meta Just Climbed 12% in a Month
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that Meta’s more than $130 billion AI investment program is reducing free cash flow, while Reality Labs continues to generate large losses. A roughly $10 billion legal charge and uncertainty around 2027 capital spending could add pressure ahead of the company’s expected October 21 earnings report. Meta: The Muse Rally Has Priced In the Good News Before Q3
• Negative Sentiment: Seven Democratic senators are seeking an explanation for Meta’s claimed $6.6 billion in research tax credits related to AI data centers, creating potential tax and policy risks for Meta and other large technology companies. Senators Want to Know Why Meta Claimed $6.6 Billion in Research Tax Credits
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs reduced its price target to $762 because of rising operating expenses, though it retained a Buy rating. A COO’s disclosed sales were made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and are therefore a limited signal of management sentiment.

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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