Rathbones Group PLC Increases Holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Rathbones Group PLC increased its stake in Meta by 8.1% in Q4, buying 52,364 shares to hold 696,555 shares valued at $459.79 million, making Meta 1.4% of its portfolio and its 12th-largest position.
• Meta topped expectations in the most recent quarter with EPS of $8.88 (vs. $8.16 expected) and revenue of $59.89 billion (up 23.8% year-over-year), and the company has a $1.61 trillion market cap.
• Market sentiment is largely positive—Meta has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" with a consensus price target of $837.72—backed by catalysts like the new AI model "Muse Spark" and forecasts that it could surpass Google in digital ad revenue by 2026.

Rathbones Group PLC lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 8.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 696,555 shares of the social networking company's stock after buying an additional 52,364 shares during the period. Meta Platforms comprises 1.4% of Rathbones Group PLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Rathbones Group PLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $459,789,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 86,925,674 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $64,158,971,000 after purchasing an additional 1,650,435 shares during the period. Capital World Investors increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 39,247,690 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $28,823,375,000 after purchasing an additional 278,180 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 17,153,754 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $12,597,374,000 after purchasing an additional 142,229 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 14,332,168 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $10,525,258,000 after purchasing an additional 558,792 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 13,619,341 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $10,001,772,000 after purchasing an additional 481,276 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

META opened at $634.53 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 2.60 and a current ratio of 2.60. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52-week low of $479.80 and a 52-week high of $796.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.61 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.31. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $627.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $652.48.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.16 by $0.72. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 38.61% and a net margin of 30.08%.The firm had revenue of $59.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $58.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $8.02 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 23.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th were given a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is currently 8.94%.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In related news, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $632.02, for a total transaction of $366,571.60. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,427 shares in the company, valued at $2,797,952.54. The trade was a 11.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 926 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $605.38, for a total value of $560,581.88. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 13,335 shares in the company, valued at $8,072,742.30. This represents a 6.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 160,414 shares of company stock worth $102,659,925 over the last ninety days. 13.61% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on META. Wolfe Research decreased their price target on Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $800.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $900.00 price target (up from $870.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Meta Platforms from $875.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price target on Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $930.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $837.72.

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Industry forecasts say Meta could overtake Google as the world’s largest digital-ad company in 2026, boosting revenue growth expectations and advertiser leverage. Meta poised to surpass Google in digital ad revenue for first time, report says
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s new AI model (Muse Spark) launch is being cited as a key catalyst — investors see product differentiation, ad targeting improvements and longer-term monetization upside from AI investments. Meta Platforms Finally Releases Muse Spark. Is the AI Model Worth the Wait?
• Positive Sentiment: Unity extended a multi-year platform support and enterprise agreement with Meta, reinforcing VR/AR partnerships that support long-term Metaverse/Reality Labs opportunities. Unity and Meta Extend Multi-Year Platform Support and Enterprise Agreement
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta will report Q1 2026 results after the market close on April 29; upcoming guidance and ad/AI metrics will likely drive near-term volatility. Meta to Announce First Quarter 2026 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Retail/investor attention is elevated (search and coverage spikes), which can amplify moves around earnings and sector news. Investors Heavily Search Meta Platforms, Inc. (META)
• Negative Sentiment: Several analysts trimmed price targets (Stifel, Wolfe, KeyCorp), which can cap upside and signal more cautious near-term expectations despite buy ratings. Stifel Nicolaus lowers META price target
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory pressure: the Philippines and U.S. state attorneys general have pushed Meta to curb panic-inducing or scam content, creating potential compliance costs and reputational risk. Philippines Orders Meta to Tighten Measures Against ‘Panic-Inducing’ Fake News NY AG warns of social media investment scams on Meta platforms
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Meta is developing a photoreal AI “clone” of CEO Mark Zuckerberg for staff interactions raise privacy and governance concerns that could attract scrutiny. Meta is building a creepy AI clone of Mark Zuckerberg to chat with staff: report

Meta Platforms Company 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.