Quent Long Short Global Small Cap Fund LP Acquires Shares of 9,270 Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Quent Long Short Global Small Cap Fund LP disclosed a new fourth-quarter stake in Meta Platforms, buying 9,270 shares worth about $6.12 million.
• Meta continues to attract broad institutional interest, with hedge funds and other investors reporting recent increases in holdings and institutions owning 79.91% of the stock.
• Despite some insider selling, Meta’s business remains financially strong: it recently beat earnings expectations, posted 33.1% revenue growth year over year, and analysts still rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $840.19.

Quent Long Short Global Small Cap Fund LP acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 9,270 shares of the social networking company's stock, valued at approximately $6,119,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 3.2% during the third quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 454 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $334,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Vista Capital Partners Inc. boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Vista Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,075 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $794,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 539 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $396,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Arcataur Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Arcataur Capital Management LLC now owns 1,736 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $1,146,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc now owns 568 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $417,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

META opened at $610.26 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.54 trillion, a PE ratio of 22.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a current ratio of 2.35. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a one year low of $520.26 and a one year high of $796.25. The business's 50 day moving average price is $617.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $636.87.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.67 by $3.77. The company had revenue of $56.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.56 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 36.93% and a net margin of 32.84%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 33.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $6.43 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.49 EPS for the current year.

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta is being viewed as an early leader in the AI trade, with recent commentary arguing the market may be underestimating how much AI could boost the company’s long-term earnings and valuation. The AI Trade Might Be Grossly Underestimated — and It Could Be Time To Rethink How We View the Mag 7
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s AI strategy is getting more attention, including reporting on CTO Andrew Bosworth’s push to use AI to reshape the workforce and improve efficiency, which could support margins over time. Meet Mark Zuckerberg's Right-Hand Man Who's Unleashing AI at Meta
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain bullish on Meta Platforms despite recent volatility, reinforcing confidence that the company’s ad business and AI investments can continue driving upside. Wall Street analysts predict Meta stock price for the next 12 months
• Positive Sentiment: Meta is expanding its AI ecosystem through a $125 million UCLA semiconductor hub with partners including Broadcom and Synopsys, which could help strengthen long-term AI infrastructure and talent development. Meta, Broadcom And Others Launch $125 Million UCLA AI Chip Hub
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage about a potential AI “sidekick” or digital twin for Mark Zuckerberg adds to the company’s AI narrative, but it is more of a concept story than a confirmed business catalyst. Mark Zuckerberg May Already Have an AI Agent Sidekick — Could This Be the Future for CEOs?
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta’s expanding use of WhatsApp in government services in Gujarat is a positive adoption signal, but the direct financial impact is still unclear. Gujarat moves to WhatsApp governance, signs MoU with Meta Platforms
• Negative Sentiment: Meta is also dealing with scrutiny over the environmental impact of its data centers, after lawmakers raised concerns about water usage and called for an EPA probe, which could create regulatory and reputational pressure. AOC Raises Concerns Over Meta Data Center Water Impact

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $800.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Meta Platforms from $910.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Raymond James Financial lowered their price objective on Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $800.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Meta Platforms from $815.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $840.19.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 837 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $609.35, for a total transaction of $510,025.95. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 14,660 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,933,071. This represents a 5.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,195 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $607.84, for a total value of $5,589,088.80. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,186 shares in the company, valued at $8,014,978.24. This represents a 41.08% 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 95,471 shares of company stock valued at $60,616,955. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Meta Platforms

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.

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