Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock: Triumph Capital Management Reduces Holdings

Key Points

• Triumph Capital Management cut its Meta stake by 30.1% in the third quarter, selling 1,736 shares and retaining 4,031 shares valued at approximately $2.93 million. Institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of Meta’s outstanding stock.
• Meta insiders sold about $102.2 million of stock over the past 90 days, including sales by CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Javier Olivan. The transactions were conducted under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans.
• Wall Street remains broadly bullish, with Meta receiving a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $801.53, despite mixed target revisions and concerns about rising AI-related spending and operating expenses.

Triumph Capital Management lessened its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 30.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,031 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 1,736 shares during the quarter. Triumph Capital Management's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $2,926,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 76,587.7% during the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 105,292,277 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $69,502,379,000 after purchasing an additional 105,154,977 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP raised its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 723.1% during the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 8,801,764 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $4,957,946,000 after purchasing an additional 7,732,446 shares in the last quarter. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter valued at $2,948,486,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 488.1% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,466,595 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $3,608,445,000 after purchasing an additional 4,537,076 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 92,033,963 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $51,841,811,000 after purchasing an additional 3,510,123 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total value of $21,359,386.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $728.10, for a total transaction of $688,782.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 6,932 shares in the company, valued at $5,047,189.20. This represents a 12.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 149,797 shares of company stock valued at $102,180,385 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Arete Research upped their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $735.00 to $806.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. Tigress Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating and set a $945.00 target price (down from $995.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. DA Davidson cut their target price on Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $700.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Citizens Jmp upped their price target on Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $885.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. Finally, 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $801.53.

Key Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s new Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full AI models are strengthening its competitive position. Muse Wonder ranked second in a 57-model accounting benchmark, ahead of OpenAI and Google models, supporting the view that Meta is narrowing the gap with leading AI developers. Muse Wonder benchmark article
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America reiterated its Buy rating and $810 price target, while Guggenheim raised its target to $850 and Truist maintained a bullish $1,000 target. Analysts cited Meta’s large user base, AI distribution and potential future revenue from personal AI agents. Bank of America AI outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Meta expanded WhatsApp with free guest voice and video calling for non-account holders, potentially improving adoption and business utility by removing registration and download barriers. WhatsApp guest calling article
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street remains broadly constructive but divided. KeyCorp and Rosenblatt reaffirmed bullish ratings with targets of $900 and $886, respectively, while Goldman Sachs cut its target from $860 to $762 but retained a Buy rating. The differing views reflect uncertainty over AI monetization and investment requirements.
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs cited rising operating expenses, while other commentary warned that accelerated Meta Superintelligence Labs investment could pressure free cash flow and lead to valuation compression around the upcoming third-quarter earnings report.
• Negative Sentiment: COO Javier Olivan disclosed sales totaling 1,575 shares at an average $728.10. Both transactions were conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing their signaling value, but the sales still represent a notable reduction in his direct holdings.

Meta Platforms Stock Down 3.3%

META opened at $737.54 on Thursday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year high of $779.82. 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 market capitalization of $1.88 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.19. The business has a 50 day moving average of $650.50 and a 200-day moving average of $623.78.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $7.14 EPS. The company's revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

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

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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