Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock Sold by Kranot Hishtalmut Le Morim Tichoniim Havera Menahelet LTD

Key Points

• Kranot Hishtalmut Le Morim Tichoniim Havera Menahelet LTD cut its Meta stake by 4.9% in the second quarter, selling 1,630 shares and retaining 31,739 shares valued at approximately $17.9 million. Institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of Meta.
• Meta is expanding its AI business through Muse for Small Business and the Meta Enterprise Platform, potentially creating new subscription, commerce and enterprise-software revenue streams. However, competition from OpenAI, privacy concerns and rising AI infrastructure costs remain key risks.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive overall, with Meta carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $787.86. The stock opened at $739.43, while recent quarterly revenue rose 28% year over year to $60.8 billion despite an earnings-per-share miss.

Kranot Hishtalmut Le Morim Tichoniim Havera Menahelet LTD decreased its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,739 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 1,630 shares during the period. Meta Platforms comprises 2.2% of Kranot Hishtalmut Le Morim Tichoniim Havera Menahelet LTD's portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Kranot Hishtalmut Le Morim Tichoniim Havera Menahelet LTD's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $17,878,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 18.6% during the second quarter. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd now owns 18,777 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $10,577,000 after buying an additional 2,939 shares in the last quarter. Madison Wealth Partners Inc boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 33.6% during the 2nd quarter. Madison Wealth Partners Inc now owns 3,031 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $1,707,000 after acquiring an additional 763 shares in the last quarter. William John Sempolinski acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,107,000. Sone Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 4,440 shares during the period. Finally, Lakewood Capital Management LP increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 63.7% in 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 purchasing an additional 45,130 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta expanded Muse for Small Business, adding integrations with Shopify, QuickBooks, Stripe, Canva, Dropbox and Slack. The initiative could create subscription, transaction and enterprise-software revenue streams while reducing the company’s reliance on digital advertising. Meta expands Muse AI agent for small businesses
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted Muse’s rapid adoption and potential to become a multibillion-dollar growth catalyst. Its integration with Meta’s large Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp user base may support future subscriptions, commerce fees, advertising improvements and AI-api revenue. Beyond advertising: analysts align on Meta Muse
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s push into business AI was reinforced by its new Meta Enterprise Platform and the hiring of former MongoDB CEO Chirantan “CJ” Desai to lead the effort. The move signals an attempt to monetize substantial AI infrastructure spending through corporate customers. Meta launches enterprise AI platform
• Positive Sentiment: Monness Crespi & Hardt raised its META price target to $830 from $730 and maintained a Buy rating. Analysts also point to AI-driven increases in advertising engagement, clicks and conversions as evidence that current investments may strengthen Meta’s core business. Meta Platforms price target raised
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares for approximately $21.4 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Because the sale was scheduled in advance, it is not necessarily a signal about the company’s outlook. Mark Zuckerberg sells Meta shares
• Negative Sentiment: OpenAI unveiled its always-on Dots agents, creating a direct competitive threat to Muse in consumer and enterprise AI. Reports that Muse exposed private information, including a user’s address, also raise privacy, safety, regulatory and reputational risks. OpenAI unveils Dots agents
• Negative Sentiment: Investors continue to weigh Meta’s sharply higher AI and data-center expenses against uncertain returns. The company also faces scrutiny over teen safety, data practices and potential regulation, which could increase costs or constrain monetization.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on META. Scotiabank reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $600.00 target price (down from $700.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $780.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $750.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $640.00 to $796.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, September 21st. Finally, Bank of America reissued a "buy" rating and set a $810.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have issued a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $787.86.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

META stock opened at $739.43 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.88 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.25. 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 52-week low of $520.26 and a 52-week high of $779.82. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $618.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $613.86.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $7.14 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were given a $0.5250 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $680.27, for a total value of $643,535.42. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 9,770 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,646,237.90. The trade was a 8.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. This represents a 17.82% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 150,307 shares of company stock valued at $101,851,357. Insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

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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