Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock Sold by Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS

Key Points

• Kornitzer Capital Management cut its Meta stake by 5.7% in the third quarter, selling 4,692 shares; it retained 78,215 shares valued at about $56.7 million.
• Meta beat quarterly estimates, reporting $7.40 per share in earnings and $64.6 billion in revenue; revenue rose 26.1% year over year.
• Analysts’ average rating was “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $833.12; 50 analysts rated the stock Buy or Strong Buy, while seven rated it Hold.

Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS trimmed its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 5.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 78,215 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 4,692 shares during the period. Meta Platforms makes up approximately 1.1% of Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $56,720,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in META. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 18.6% in the second quarter. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd now owns 18,777 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $10,577,000 after purchasing an additional 2,939 shares in the last quarter. Madison Wealth Partners Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 33.6% during the second quarter. Madison Wealth Partners Inc now owns 3,031 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $1,707,000 after purchasing an additional 763 shares during the period. William John Sempolinski purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,107,000. Sone Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 38.2% in the 2nd quarter. Sone Capital Management LLC now owns 16,059 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $9,046,000 after buying an additional 4,440 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lakewood Capital Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 63.7% during the 2nd quarter. Lakewood Capital Management LP now owns 115,985 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $65,333,000 after buying an additional 45,130 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Trading Down 0.8%

Meta Platforms stock opened at $623.61 on Friday. 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 $1.59 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.28. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $679.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $631.88. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

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

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The business 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 of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is currently 7.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on META. 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 note on Thursday, July 30th. Pivotal Research increased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $930.00 to $960.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Meta Platforms from $920.00 to $940.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Raymond James Financial upped their price target on Meta Platforms from $650.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank increased their price target on Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $820.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, September 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $833.12.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan named Meta its preferred internet stock, citing AI-enhanced advertising and the potential for Family of Apps ad revenue to compare favorably with Google Search. Meta Platforms Wins JPMorgan Backing
• Neutral Sentiment: Infrastructure chief Santosh Janardhan plans to leave in early 2027, with former AWS executive David Brown set to take over. The handoff is planned, though the leadership change comes as Meta expands its AI computing infrastructure. Meta Head of Infrastructure Will Leave
• Negative Sentiment: Regulators in the UK fined Meta over repeated inaccuracies in WhatsApp Business data, while a Brazilian electoral court also fined Facebook over alleged campaign-related content issues. These actions add regulatory and reputational risk. Meta Fined by UK Regulator

Insider Activity

In other Meta Platforms news, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total transaction of $2,002,514.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 6,271 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,875,854.26. This trade represents a 34.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total transaction of $21,359,386.56. 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 150,973 shares of company stock valued at $103,128,307. 13.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Meta Platforms

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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