Sawyer & Company Inc Makes New $6.43 Million Investment in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Sawyer & Company Inc. acquired 8,864 Meta shares worth approximately $6.43 million in the third quarter, making META about 2.2% of its portfolio. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 79.91% of Meta’s stock.
• Meta reported strong quarterly results, with revenue rising 26% year over year to $64.6 billion and EPS of $7.40 versus estimates of $6.54. Analysts remain broadly positive, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $833.12.
• Investors continue to weigh Meta’s AI opportunity against rising costs and risks: capital expenditures could reach $145 billion, while legal liabilities, regulatory scrutiny and delayed commercial terms add uncertainty. Insiders have also sold 148,440 shares worth approximately $101.5 million over the past 90 days.

Sawyer & Company Inc acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 8,864 shares of the social networking company's stock, valued at approximately $6,428,000. Meta Platforms comprises approximately 2.2% of Sawyer & Company Inc's investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Watchman Group Inc. raised its stake in Meta Platforms by 0.3% in the first quarter. Watchman Group Inc. now owns 5,091 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $2,913,000 after buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Penney Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. Penney Financial LLC now owns 399 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $228,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,519 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $869,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. now owns 1,206 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $874,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Value Partners Investments Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 866 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $630,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on META shares. DA Davidson upped their price target on Meta Platforms from $700.00 to $800.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. DZ Bank reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $750.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and set a $800.00 price objective (down from $850.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $930.00 to $950.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, September 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $833.12.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

META stock opened at $642.62 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.64 trillion, a P/E ratio of 21.91, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.19. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a twelve month low of $520.26 and a twelve month high of $779.82. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $664.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $630.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The social networking company reported $7.40 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.86. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 31.15% and a return on equity of 30.73%. The business had revenue of $64.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $63.34 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $7.25 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.86 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a dividend of $0.5250 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was 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 7.16%.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q3 operating performance: Meta reported $64.6 billion in revenue, up 26% year over year, and adjusted earnings of $7.40 per share versus expectations of roughly $6.54. AI-driven recommendations and advertising tools are improving engagement, ad pricing and conversions. META Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Muse adoption supports the AI thesis: Meta’s Muse AI agent has surpassed 10 million downloads, strengthening the case that the company could eventually monetize AI through subscriptions, enterprise services and additional advertising. However, meaningful revenue contribution is expected later, potentially from 2027 onward. Meta Muse Adoption
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly constructive: UBS, Citigroup, Mizuho, JPMorgan, Bank of America and other firms raised or reaffirmed bullish ratings and price targets, citing resilient advertising growth and long-term AI potential. Some investors, including commentator Mike Khouw, view the selloff as a buying opportunity. Why Mike Khouw Is Buying Meta
• Neutral Sentiment: New Class C shares and a 2-for-1 split: Meta plans to issue one non-voting Class C share for each Class A and Class B share. The move should improve trading liquidity and give Mark Zuckerberg greater flexibility to sell shares or finance AI investment without surrendering voting control, but it does not by itself create economic value for shareholders. Meta’s New Non-Voting Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: Commercial terms delayed: Meta postponed controversial terms that publishers and advertisers said could authorize broader web scraping, moving implementation to November 20 from October 30. The delay may reduce near-term friction, though the underlying regulatory and customer concerns remain. Meta Delays Commercial Terms
• Negative Sentiment: AI spending is the main pressure: Meta lifted the lower end of its 2026 capital-expenditure forecast to $135 billion, with spending potentially reaching $145 billion. Free cash flow turned negative as infrastructure investment accelerated, while credit-default-swap costs reached records. Investors are questioning when Muse and other AI projects will generate returns. Meta AI Spending and Free Cash Flow
• Negative Sentiment: Legal and regulatory risks remain significant: Meta faces a $25 billion New Mexico privacy judgment, additional lawsuits alleging harm to children and scam advertising, and rising legal costs. The company plans to appeal the New Mexico ruling, but the liabilities add uncertainty and pressure margins. Meta New Mexico Privacy Judgment

Insider Activity

In related news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total value of $4,379,184.00. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 828 shares in the company, valued at $462,024. The trade was a 90.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total value of $21,359,386.56. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 148,440 shares of company stock valued at $101,456,300. Insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company's principal platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Threads, which enable users to connect, communicate, share content, and discover products and services.

Meta also operates Reality Labs, its division focused on virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies. Reality Labs develops products such as Meta Quest virtual reality headsets and related software and experiences, along with research and hardware intended to support immersive computing.

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