Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Purchases 27,310 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its Meta Platforms stake by 12.1% in the fourth quarter, buying 27,310 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 252,334 shares worth about $166.6 million.
• Meta posted better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $10.44 versus estimates of $6.67 and revenue of $56.31 billion, up 33.1% year over year.
• Despite a recent 0.7% stock decline and some insider selling, analysts remain broadly positive on META, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $840.31.

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 12.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 252,334 shares of the social networking company's stock after purchasing an additional 27,310 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for approximately 0.9% of Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $166,564,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Westchester Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Key Capital Management INC bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter worth approximately $48,000. Fairway Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 36.8% during the fourth quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 78 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 64.8% during the third quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 89 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Finally, PMV Capital Advisers LLC increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 26.3% during the fourth quarter. PMV Capital Advisers LLC now owns 96 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of META opened at $614.23 on Friday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52-week low of $520.26 and a 52-week high of $796.25. The business's fifty day moving average is $622.18 and its 200-day moving average is $640.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a current ratio of 2.35. The firm has a market cap of $1.55 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.33, a PEG ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.25.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 926 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $604.57, for a total transaction of $559,831.82. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 6,853 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,143,118.21. This trade represents a 11.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $667.00, for a total value of $386,860.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 3,847 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,565,949. This trade represents a 13.10% 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 three months, insiders have sold 160,352 shares of company stock worth $102,559,436. 13.61% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group lowered their target price on Meta Platforms from $908.00 to $865.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Scotiabank raised their price objective on Meta Platforms from $685.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Wedbush raised their price objective on Meta Platforms from $880.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised their price objective on Meta Platforms from $808.00 to $890.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Meta Platforms from $815.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Four investment 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $840.31.

Meta Platforms News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square continues to hold Meta alongside other megacap AI leaders, reinforcing the view that META remains a core long-term AI and digital ads name. Microsoft, Meta, Amazon and Google. Is Ackman's Hedge Fund Just a Mag 7 Play?
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary continue to point out that Meta’s latest earnings beat was strong, with faster revenue growth and better-than-expected EPS, which supports the bull case despite recent volatility. Meta Platforms Stock Performance
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta is getting attention as one of the most-watched stocks on Zacks, suggesting investors are closely focused on what comes next for AI spending, ad growth, and margins. Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta is still a key part of the AI trade, but commentary about an AI bubble and crowded megacap positioning is keeping sentiment cautious around the stock. UBS warns AI stocks are overheating as growth expectations collide with history
• Negative Sentiment: Meta’s CFO said 2026 capital expenditures are expected to keep rising, intensifying concerns that heavy AI infrastructure spending could weigh on free cash flow and near-term profitability. Money Pit? Zuckerberg Just Exposed Why Hyperscaler AI Spending Keeps Going Up
• Negative Sentiment: Meta is facing fresh legal and regulatory pressure, including a New Mexico youth-safety trial, an Italian lawsuit over minors’ social media use, and a California suit tied to AI scam ads and advertising practices. Meta and Google fund US kids' groups, as critics warn of social media risk
• Negative Sentiment: Some fund managers trimmed META holdings, which may add to near-term caution even though other investors increased exposure. ARK Investment’s Cathie Wood Cuts Meta Platforms Stake Sharply

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.

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