Rehmann Capital Advisory Group Buys 1,953 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Rehmann Capital Advisory Group increased its Meta stake by 12.1% in the second quarter, purchasing 1,953 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 18,094 shares valued at approximately $10.2 million. Institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of Meta’s stock.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with Meta receiving a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $789.63. Recent target increases cite early traction for Meta’s Muse AI agent and its potential to become a new revenue stream.
• Meta’s latest quarterly revenue rose 28% year over year to $60.8 billion, although earnings per share missed estimates. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share, equivalent to a 0.3% annualized yield.

Rehmann Capital Advisory Group boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 12.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 18,094 shares of the social networking company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,953 shares during the period. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $10,189,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Auto Owners Insurance Co boosted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 76,587.7% in the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 105,292,277 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $69,502,379,000 after buying an additional 105,154,977 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 52,806,712 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $34,734,628,000 after buying an additional 878,396 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter worth $22,152,075,000. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 14.6% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,038,035 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $12,036,491,000 after acquiring an additional 2,673,494 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 18,200,469 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $12,013,948,000 after acquiring an additional 1,046,715 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on META. Bank of America restated a "buy" rating and set a $810.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Tuesday. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $800.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set an "outperform" rating on the stock. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on Meta Platforms from $766.00 to $715.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Four 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $789.63.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In related news, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $675.23, for a total transaction of $13,504,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 224,516 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $151,599,938.68. This trade represents a 8.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,196 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total transaction 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 $7,260,343.46. This trade represents a 41.09% 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. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 81,758 shares of company stock valued at $51,214,020. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Meta Platforms Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of META stock opened at $736.59 on Wednesday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $770.60. The company has a market capitalization of $1.88 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.25. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $609.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $610.57. 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 (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). The firm had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. Meta Platforms's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $7.14 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

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 issued a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.91%.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Muse is gaining significant consumer traction. The agent reportedly surpassed ChatGPT’s early mobile download pace and can handle tasks such as shopping, travel bookings, email and financial-related services. Investors increasingly view Muse as a potential new revenue platform rather than simply another AI feature. Wall Street expects Meta's AI agent to shape into a new revenue engine
• Positive Sentiment: Commercial partnerships strengthen the monetization case. Shopify is integrating Shop Pay checkout with Muse, while PayPal is also expected to use the agent. These deals could help Meta capture value from AI-powered commerce and create a platform for outside developers and services. Shopify Brings Shop Pay Checkout Solution to Meta's Muse AI Agent
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised their targets. Jefferies increased its Meta price target to $875 from $710 and maintained a Buy rating, while Bank of America reaffirmed Buy with an $810 target. Analysts cited Muse’s early adoption and potential to add a new earnings stream. Jefferies Adjusts Price Target on Meta Platforms
• Positive Sentiment: The core advertising business remains supportive. Meta’s latest reported revenue increased 28% year over year to $60.8 billion, with stronger ad pricing helping offset slower impression growth. Investors are also looking ahead to additional AI announcements at Meta Connect.
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta continues to expand its AI infrastructure. Its planned Petal subsea cable and reported custom CPU work with Arm could improve long-term computing capacity and efficiency, but these projects require substantial capital and will not produce immediate revenue.
• Negative Sentiment: Execution and spending concerns remain. Meta’s recent EPS missed consensus despite revenue growth, while rising capital expenditures, debt and weaker cash-flow expectations could limit near-term upside after the stock’s large advance.
• Negative Sentiment: Amazon’s refusal to allow Muse shopping highlights platform friction. Meta is also testing human contractors to complete some Muse calls, raising questions about reliability, privacy, scalability and the cost of delivering the service. Meta testing a human concierge for Muse

Meta Platforms Profile

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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