Next Capital Management LLC Has $9.73 Million Holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Next Capital Management increased its Meta stake by 6% in the second quarter, bringing its holdings to 17,281 shares valued at approximately $9.73 million. Meta now represents 2.6% of the firm’s portfolio, while institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of the stock.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish: Meta has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $785.22, although several firms recently lowered their targets. The stock opened at $592.85, well below its 12-month high of $790.80.
• Meta’s latest quarterly revenue rose 28% year over year to $60.8 billion, beating estimates, but earnings per share missed expectations. Investors continue to weigh the company’s strong advertising and AI prospects against margin pressure from increased AI spending and ongoing trust-and-safety concerns.

Next Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 6.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,281 shares of the social networking company's stock after acquiring an additional 985 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises 2.6% of Next Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Next Capital Management LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $9,734,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RHL Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth $28,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Niles Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Axiom Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms during the first quarter worth $36,000. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on META. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $835.00 to $810.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their price objective on Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $680.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Citizens Jmp dropped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $770.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. TD Cowen cut their target price on Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities raised their target price on Meta Platforms from $883.00 to $886.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $785.22.

Key Stories Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: New AI model strengthens product narrative: Meta launched Muse Spark 1.3, described as its most advanced AI model, supporting the view that the company is intensifying competition with leading AI developers and could create new monetization opportunities. Meta Platforms unveils most powerful AI model
• Positive Sentiment: $18 billion settlement removes a major overhang: The settlement of lawsuits alleging harm to children provides greater legal visibility. Analysts believe limits on teen usage should have a limited effect on revenue and that resolving the case could clear the way for accelerated AI-product launches. Meta settlement could clear the way for new AI product launches
• Positive Sentiment: Valuation is attracting buyers: Articles characterize META as undervalued at roughly 16–20 times forward earnings, well below its historical valuation, despite 28% recent revenue growth and resilient user engagement. Morgan Stanley analysts see potential for substantial upside if AI improves advertising and product growth. Meta stock looks undervalued
• Positive Sentiment: Advertising outlook remains favorable: An analyst report argues that AI-powered targeting and engagement could help Meta challenge Google for leadership in digital advertising, adding to the stock’s growth appeal. Meta versus Google digital advertising outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst stance remains cautious: Wedbush reaffirmed a neutral rating with a $595 price target, suggesting limited near-term upside despite the improving legal and AI backdrop.
• Negative Sentiment: AI spending is pressuring cash flow: Meta’s latest results showed margin compression and sharply lower free cash flow as capital expenditures increased, creating concern that returns on its large AI investments may take time.
• Negative Sentiment: Trust and safety issues persist: Meta disabled cameras on thousands of AI glasses after detecting tampering with recording lights, while it also removed scam advertisements in India linked to malware and stolen banking credentials. These incidents could increase regulatory and reputational pressure.

Meta Platforms Trading Up 2.5%

NASDAQ:META opened at $592.85 on Thursday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month high of $790.80. 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 $1.51 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.33, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.25. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $593.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $609.41.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). The company had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%.Meta Platforms's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $7.14 EPS. Analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, CFO Susan J. 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 sale, the chief financial officer owned 13,186 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,260,343.46. This trade represents a 41.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 3,348 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $600.97, for a total value of $2,012,047.56. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 9,498 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,708,013.06. This represents a 26.06% 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. Insiders sold a total of 32,987 shares of company stock valued at $19,202,995 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc NASDAQ: META, formerly Facebook, Inc, is a global technology company best known for building social networking services and immersive computing platforms. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Menlo Park, California, the company operates a family of consumer-facing products and services that connect users, creators and businesses. In October 2021 the company rebranded as Meta to reflect an expanded strategic focus on augmented and virtual reality technologies alongside its social media businesses.

Meta's core consumer products include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and community building across mobile and desktop devices.

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.

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