Shelton Wealth Management LLC Buys 841 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Shelton Wealth Management increased its Meta stake by 34.3% in the third quarter, buying 841 shares to own 3,290 shares valued at approximately $2.386 million. Institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of Meta’s stock.
• Analysts maintain a generally bullish outlook, with Meta receiving a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $808.88; JPMorgan’s target is higher at $920.
• Meta reported quarterly revenue of $60.8 billion, up 28% year over year, but earnings of $6.18 per share missed the $7.19 consensus estimate. Investors remain focused on the potential impact of heavy AI infrastructure spending, regulatory risks, and upcoming earnings results.

Shelton Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 34.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,290 shares of the social networking company's stock after purchasing an additional 841 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for about 0.9% of Shelton Wealth Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Shelton Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $2,386,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Pension & Wealth Management Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 24.0% in the 3rd quarter. Pension & Wealth Management Advisors Inc. now owns 3,435 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $2,492,000 after purchasing an additional 665 shares during the period. TB Alternative Assets Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 2.3% during the third quarter. TB Alternative Assets Ltd. now owns 104,435 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $75,734,000 after purchasing an additional 2,395 shares in the last quarter. Trail Ridge Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the third quarter valued at approximately $230,000. Michael J. Porro & Co. Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms in the third quarter worth $251,000. Finally, North Capital Inc. grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.0% in the third quarter. North Capital Inc. now owns 2,408 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $1,836,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

META has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wedbush increased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, September 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an "overweight" rating and set a $920.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday. Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $860.00 to $840.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 12th. Citic Securities reduced their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $718.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Moffett Nathanson decreased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $740.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $808.88.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $709.33 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $655.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $626.49. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $779.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.81 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.72, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.19.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%. The company had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $60.22 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $7.14 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a $0.5250 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is presently 7.91%.

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America expects Meta to exceed third-quarter revenue expectations, forecasting $63.8 billion versus a $63.3 billion consensus estimate, and maintained a Buy rating with an $810 price target. Meta expected to beat revenue forecasts as AI boosts advertising, says Bank of America
• Positive Sentiment: Meta released the open-weight Muse Spark model for coding and AI-agent tasks, while its collaboration with Apple enables developers to run the model locally on high-end Mac computers. The developments could broaden adoption of Meta’s AI technology and reduce reliance on cloud infrastructure. Meta releases open-weight Muse Spark model
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan reaffirmed its Overweight rating and set a $920 price target, implying substantial upside, while other analysts including KeyCorp and Rosenblatt also maintained positive ratings. JPMorgan reaffirms Meta rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta is expected to report third-quarter results on October 21. Investors will focus on advertising growth, user metrics, profitability, capital expenditures, and management’s outlook for AI infrastructure spending. Meta Q3 earnings estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta withdrew $25 million from a previously announced $65 million effort to support political candidates considered favorable to the AI industry. The move may reduce near-term spending but signals a change in its political strategy. Meta Withdraws $25 Million from Its Midterms Push
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst-related pressure is weighing on the stock after Goldman Sachs lowered its expectations and Meta was reported down following an analyst downgrade, countering the more bullish JPMorgan view. Meta stock price down on analyst downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that AI infrastructure spending could reach approximately $205 billion in 2027. Heavy capital expenditures are reducing free cash flow, while potential legal charges and regulatory scrutiny add to earnings risk. Meta AI spending could hit $205 billion
• Negative Sentiment: Seven U.S. senators are questioning Meta’s claim of $6.6 billion in research tax credits for AI data centers, creating potential tax liability and reputational risk. Senators question Meta AI data-center tax credits

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Susan Li sold 9,196 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total transaction of $5,063,409.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,186 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,260,343.46. This represents a 41.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total transaction of $4,379,184.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer owned 828 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $462,024. This represents a 90.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 148,331 shares of company stock worth $101,233,569 over the last quarter. 13.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Meta Platforms Profile

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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