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

Key Points

• VestGen Advisors cut its Meta stake by 8.7% in the third quarter, selling 3,734 shares; it retained 39,352 shares valued at about $28.5 million.
• Meta reported quarterly EPS of $7.40, above the $6.54 consensus, while revenue of $64.6 billion beat estimates and rose 26.1% year over year.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $833.12; company insiders sold about $102.2 million in stock over the prior 90 days.

VestGen Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 8.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 39,352 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 3,734 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises about 0.9% of VestGen Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. VestGen Advisors LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $28,537,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of META. Heritage Wealth Management Inc. CA increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 3.1% in the third quarter. Heritage Wealth Management Inc. CA now owns 2,902 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $2,104,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Maj Invest Holding A S boosted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. Maj Invest Holding A S now owns 321,233 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $232,952,000 after purchasing an additional 18,302 shares in the last quarter. Vantage Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 21.7% in the 3rd quarter. Vantage Investment Partners LLC now owns 109,909 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $79,704,000 after purchasing an additional 19,567 shares in the last quarter. Financial Insights Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Financial Insights Inc. now owns 960 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $696,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,480 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $8,325,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Meta Platforms news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $640.00, for a total value of $605,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 5,040 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,225,600. The trade was a 15.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 149,515 shares of company stock worth $102,183,520 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Stock Up 2.4%

Shares of NASDAQ META opened at $621.03 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.59 trillion, a P/E ratio of 21.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.28. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52-week low of $520.26 and a 52-week high of $779.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a current ratio of 1.90. The company's 50 day moving average price is $672.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $632.16.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.86. The company had revenue of $64.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.34 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 31.15% and a return on equity of 30.73%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $7.25 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is currently 7.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on META shares. Phillip Securities raised Meta Platforms from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $795.00 to $750.00 in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $710.00 to $875.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $750.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Pivotal Research increased their price target on Meta Platforms from $930.00 to $960.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, DZ Bank restated a "buy" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $833.12.

Key Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s bond sale attracted orders reportedly reaching $58 billion, a sign of robust investor appetite for the company’s debt. That demand may have helped support the stock despite concerns about Big Tech’s AI spending. Article: Meta stock rises as $20B bond sale attracts strong investor demand
• Positive Sentiment: Meta completed a $15 billion, five-part U.S. bond sale. The successful issuance gives the company capital to support its investment plans, while recent earnings-call coverage highlighted ad growth and adoption of its Muse AI tools. Article: Meta raises $15 billion in five-part US bond sale Article: META Q3 Earnings Call Put Spotlight on Muse Growth and AI Spending
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta and Snap settled claims related to alleged harm to young users from social media; financial terms were not disclosed. The settlements avert the scheduled trial, but do not resolve broader scrutiny of platform design. Article: Snap Settled a Social Media Addiction Suit
• Negative Sentiment: The bond financing underscores the cost of Meta’s AI ambitions. Reports indicate borrowing costs rose, while the company is ramping up spending on data centers and AI models—raising questions about returns and pressure on future cash flow. Article: Apple Shares Slip, Meta Debt Costs Rise Article: Meta seeks to raise up to $25 billion in debt sale as AI spending jumps
• Negative Sentiment: Meta postponed new business terms after backlash over potential web scraping, and reports of its AI crawler overwhelming a small business website add to reputational and policy risks. Article: Meta delays new business terms after outcry over potential web scraping of news sites

About Meta Platforms

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.