Securian Asset Management Inc. Reduces Holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Securian Asset Management cut its Meta Platforms stake by 43.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 45,528 shares and leaving it with 59,221 shares valued at about $39.1 million.
• Meta’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, with EPS of $10.44 versus $6.67 expected and revenue of $56.31 billion, up 33.1% year over year.
• Wall Street remains broadly constructive on the stock, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $840.31, though recent news highlights cost pressure from AI spending and layoffs.

Securian Asset Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 43.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 59,221 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 45,528 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises about 1.5% of Securian Asset Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Securian Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $39,091,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Westchester Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Key Capital Management INC bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter worth about $48,000. Fairway Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 36.8% in the 4th quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 78 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Merrithew & Thorsten Inc bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter worth about $52,000. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of META stock opened at $602.61 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.35, a current ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.52 trillion, a PE ratio of 21.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $620.35 and a 200-day moving average price of $637.91. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $520.26 and a 52 week high of $796.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.67 by $3.77. The company had revenue of $56.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.56 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 32.84% and a return on equity of 36.93%. The firm's revenue was up 33.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $6.43 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Tigress Financial increased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $935.00 to $945.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $880.00 to $920.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Pivotal Research reduced their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $930.00 to $910.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $800.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $840.31.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Negative Sentiment: Meta began laying off about 8,000 employees, or roughly 10% of its workforce, as part of a broader AI-first transformation. The move highlights rising restructuring costs and suggests more cuts could follow later this year. Meta Begins Laying Off 8,000 Employees Amid A.I. Transformation
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Meta is cutting jobs while ramping up AI investment have kept attention on margin pressure and the scale of the company’s AI spending bill, which some investors view as a near-term drag on earnings. Meta Moves 7,000 Workers Into AI Roles Ahead of Job Cuts
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta offered rival AI chatbot makers limited free access to WhatsApp in Europe before charging once usage limits are reached. The move could support platform engagement and developer adoption, but the financial impact is still unclear. Exclusive: Meta offers AI rival chatbots limited free WhatsApp access, sources say
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta also drew attention for new AI-related product and safety initiatives, including an incognito chat feature for WhatsApp’s AI assistant and new parental supervision tools, but these are not likely to move the stock in the near term. Meta Platforms (META) Launching Incognito Chat for WhatsApp AI Assistant

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,847 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $607.83, for a total value of $4,769,642.01. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 414 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $251,641.62. This trade represents a 94.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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, COO Javier Olivan sold 2,778 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $629.45, for a total transaction of $1,748,612.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 10,557 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,645,103.65. The trade was a 20.83% 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 171,517 shares of company stock valued at $109,138,067. 13.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.

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