Navellier & Associates Inc. Cuts Stock Holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Navellier & Associates cut its Meta stake by 15.5% in the second quarter, selling 1,664 shares and retaining 9,105 shares valued at approximately $5.13 million. Institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of Meta.
• Meta insiders have also been net sellers, with executives selling 81,758 shares worth about $51.2 million over the past quarter under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans.
• Meta reported strong 28% year-over-year revenue growth to $60.8 billion, though quarterly EPS of $6.18 missed estimates. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $788.88, while the company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share.

Navellier & Associates Inc. trimmed its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 15.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,105 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 1,664 shares during the period. Navellier & Associates Inc.'s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $5,129,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. BNP Paribas boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 18.1% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas now owns 93,517 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $52,707,000 after buying an additional 14,307 shares in the last quarter. Field & Main Bank purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth approximately $4,146,000. SPX Gestao de Recursos Ltda purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth approximately $13,965,000. Archer Investment Corp bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,924,000. Finally, Kimelman & Baird LLC boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 8.0% in the 2nd quarter. Kimelman & Baird LLC now owns 1,109 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $625,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Susan Li sold 9,196 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total value of $5,063,409.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 13,186 shares in the company, valued at $7,260,343.46. This trade represents a 41.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total value of $2,002,514.40. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 6,271 shares in the company, valued at $3,875,854.26. This represents a 34.07% 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 81,758 shares of company stock worth $51,214,020 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of Meta Platforms stock opened at $665.75 on Monday. 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 $790.80. The company has a market cap of $1.70 trillion, a PE ratio of 25.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.25. The business has a 50 day moving average of $606.33 and a 200 day moving average of $609.48.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 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 analysts' expectations of $60.22 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $7.14 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be given a $0.525 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio is currently 7.91%.

More Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s Muse personal AI agent reached No. 1 on Apple’s U.S. free-app chart, surpassing ChatGPT roughly one week after launch. Its ability to handle shopping, bookings, email and phone calls could give Meta a significant consumer-AI growth platform and strengthen the case for future subscriptions or commerce revenue. Meta's Muse tops Apple's US free app chart
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America said Meta’s internally developed MTIA AI chips could save approximately $8.5 billion in 2027 by reducing reliance on third-party processors. Custom silicon could improve the economics of Meta’s expanding AI infrastructure over time. Meta Can Save $8.5 Billion in 2027 by Using Its Own MTIA Chips
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support and upcoming product announcements remain potential catalysts. Rosenblatt reiterated a Buy rating, while investors are looking ahead to Meta Connect on September 23 for additional AI, glasses and subscription details. Meta Earns Buy Rating from Rosenblatt Securities
• Neutral Sentiment: Muse’s early popularity is encouraging, but analysts disagree on its financial impact. The generous free tier may accelerate adoption while delaying revenue and increasing computing costs; consumer distrust of Meta and the need to provide sensitive account data could also limit paid conversion. Meta’s Muse Agent Has Wall Street Divided on Its AI Potential
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are taking profits after META rose roughly 23%–24% over the past month. Valuation and expectations have risen quickly, increasing sensitivity to any evidence that AI spending will not generate near-term earnings growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Meta’s AI investment program is placing significant pressure on cash flow. Articles highlighted a more than 90% decline in free cash flow as capital expenditures rise, raising concerns about the payback period for data centers, chips and other infrastructure. Meta Versus Oracle: AI Capex Payback Velocity
• Negative Sentiment: Legal and reputational pressure is increasing. A German court held Meta liable for fraudulent third-party ads, while regulators and its Oversight Board criticized safeguards against deepfakes and nonconsensual filming involving its smart glasses. These issues could increase compliance costs and threaten user trust. German Court Rules Meta Liable for Fake Ads
• Negative Sentiment: Chief Product Officer Christopher Cox sold 20,000 shares worth approximately $13.5 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The planned nature reduces the signal, but the sale may still weigh modestly on sentiment. SEC Insider Trading Filing

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on META shares. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $886.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. Scotiabank reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $600.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $835.00 to $640.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $780.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their target price on Meta Platforms from $835.00 to $810.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $788.88.

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc develops technologies that help people connect, communicate and build communities online. The company's principal products include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and digital communication.

Meta generates most of its business through advertising displayed across its family of apps. It also develops artificial intelligence technologies, business messaging tools and hardware and software through its Reality Labs division, including Quest virtual- and mixed-reality devices and related experiences.

The company was founded as Facebook in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and was renamed Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect its broader focus on building the metaverse.

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