Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock Sold by Integrated Advisors Network LLC

Key Points

• Integrated Advisors Network LLC reduced its Meta position by 9.4% in the third quarter, selling 1,313 shares and retaining 12,599 shares valued at approximately $9.1 million. Institutional investors own 79.91% of Meta’s outstanding stock.
• Meta reported a strong quarter, with revenue rising 26.1% year over year to $64.6 billion and EPS of $7.40, beating analyst expectations of $6.54. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share, equivalent to a 0.3% yield.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with Meta holding a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $833.12 versus a recent share price of $642.62. However, insiders sold roughly $102.3 million of stock over the past three months.

Integrated Advisors Network LLC trimmed its holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 9.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,599 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 1,313 shares during the period. Integrated Advisors Network LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $9,136,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Watchman Group Inc. raised its holdings in Meta Platforms by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Watchman Group Inc. now owns 5,091 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $2,913,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Penney Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. Penney Financial LLC now owns 399 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $228,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,519 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $869,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the third quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. now owns 1,206 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $874,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Finally, Value Partners Investments Inc. raised its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.8% in the third quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 866 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $630,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of META stock opened at $642.62 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $664.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $629.72. The company has a market cap of $1.64 trillion, a P/E ratio of 21.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a twelve month low of $520.26 and a twelve month high of $779.82.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.86. The firm had revenue of $64.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $63.34 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 30.73% and a net margin of 31.15%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $7.25 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders 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 (DPR) is presently 7.91%.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $707.20, for a total value of $669,011.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 5,986 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,233,299.20. This represents a 13.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed 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 K. Cox sold 40,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at $131,515,624.16. This 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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 149,906 shares of company stock worth $102,347,409. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Pivotal Research upped their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $930.00 to $960.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $930.00 to $950.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, September 25th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $810.00 to $845.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Rosenblatt Securities restated a "buy" rating and issued a $886.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $875.00 to $850.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $833.12.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q3 operating performance: Meta reported $64.6 billion in revenue, up 26% year over year, and adjusted earnings of $7.40 per share versus expectations of roughly $6.54. AI-driven recommendations and advertising tools are improving engagement, ad pricing and conversions. META Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Muse adoption supports the AI thesis: Meta’s Muse AI agent has surpassed 10 million downloads, strengthening the case that the company could eventually monetize AI through subscriptions, enterprise services and additional advertising. However, meaningful revenue contribution is expected later, potentially from 2027 onward. Meta Muse Adoption
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly constructive: UBS, Citigroup, Mizuho, JPMorgan, Bank of America and other firms raised or reaffirmed bullish ratings and price targets, citing resilient advertising growth and long-term AI potential. Some investors, including commentator Mike Khouw, view the selloff as a buying opportunity. Why Mike Khouw Is Buying Meta
• Neutral Sentiment: New Class C shares and a 2-for-1 split: Meta plans to issue one non-voting Class C share for each Class A and Class B share. The move should improve trading liquidity and give Mark Zuckerberg greater flexibility to sell shares or finance AI investment without surrendering voting control, but it does not by itself create economic value for shareholders. Meta’s New Non-Voting Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: Commercial terms delayed: Meta postponed controversial terms that publishers and advertisers said could authorize broader web scraping, moving implementation to November 20 from October 30. The delay may reduce near-term friction, though the underlying regulatory and customer concerns remain. Meta Delays Commercial Terms
• Negative Sentiment: AI spending is the main pressure: Meta lifted the lower end of its 2026 capital-expenditure forecast to $135 billion, with spending potentially reaching $145 billion. Free cash flow turned negative as infrastructure investment accelerated, while credit-default-swap costs reached records. Investors are questioning when Muse and other AI projects will generate returns. Meta AI Spending and Free Cash Flow
• Negative Sentiment: Legal and regulatory risks remain significant: Meta faces a $25 billion New Mexico privacy judgment, additional lawsuits alleging harm to children and scam advertising, and rising legal costs. The company plans to appeal the New Mexico ruling, but the liabilities add uncertainty and pressure margins. Meta New Mexico Privacy Judgment

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'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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.