Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock Sold by Jacobs & Co. CA

Key Points

• Jacobs & Co. CA reduced its Meta stake by 1.6%, selling 743 shares and retaining 45,221 shares valued at approximately $32.8 million. Institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of Meta, while insiders sold $101.0 million of stock during the latest quarter.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $791.86, although several firms recently lowered their targets.
• Meta’s latest quarterly revenue rose 28% year over year to $60.8 billion, supported by advertising and AI initiatives, but earnings missed estimates and free cash flow has come under pressure from heavy AI and data-center spending.

Jacobs & Co. CA lowered its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 45,221 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 743 shares during the period. Meta Platforms comprises about 2.9% of Jacobs & Co. CA's investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Jacobs & Co. CA's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $32,793,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of META. Watchman Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.3% in the first quarter. Watchman Group Inc. now owns 5,091 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $2,913,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Penney Financial LLC boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. Penney Financial LLC now owns 399 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $228,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in 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 valued at $869,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Bill Few Associates Inc. grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. now owns 1,206 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $874,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWS Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC now owns 985 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $564,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Meta Platforms news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total transaction of $4,379,184.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $462,024. This trade represents a 90.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,196 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total transaction of $5,063,409.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,186 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,260,343.46. This trade represents a 41.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 148,222 shares of company stock worth $101,033,627 over the last quarter. 13.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on META shares. Scotiabank reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $600.00 target price (down from $700.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Susquehanna reduced their price target on Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $650.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $800.00 price target (down from $850.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Citigroup reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, September 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $750.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $791.86.

Meta Platforms News Summary

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%

Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $718.67 on Friday. 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $640.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $620.09. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $779.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.83 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.07, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.19.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%. The company had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $60.22 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $7.14 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a $0.5250 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is presently 7.91%.

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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