Smith Group Asset Management LLC Acquires 6,451 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Smith Group Asset Management increased its Meta Platforms stake by 7.6% in the second quarter, purchasing 6,451 shares to bring its holdings to 90,863 shares valued at approximately $51.2 million. Institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of Meta’s stock.
• Analysts maintain a broadly positive outlook, with Meta receiving a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $785.22, despite one analyst lowering its target. The company’s latest quarter showed 28% year-over-year revenue growth to $60.8 billion, although earnings per share missed estimates.
• Meta shares opened at $578.54, while company insiders—including the CFO and COO—sold stock under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans. Investors are also weighing the benefits of Meta’s AI investments against significant infrastructure costs, regulatory risks and an estimated $17 billion–$18 billion child-safety settlement.

Smith Group Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 7.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 90,863 shares of the social networking company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,451 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms makes up 2.1% of Smith Group Asset Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Smith Group Asset Management LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $51,182,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in META. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 17.4% in the 1st quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 18,000 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $10,299,000 after purchasing an additional 2,670 shares during the period. Keybank National Association OH boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 15.7% in the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 133,798 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $88,319,000 after acquiring an additional 18,169 shares during the period. WMS Group LLC purchased a new position in Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $876,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Meta Platforms by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 199,995,630 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $132,015,115,000 after acquiring an additional 7,269,279 shares during the period. Finally, Czech National Bank lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 4.9% in the 2nd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 625,079 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $352,101,000 after purchasing an additional 29,411 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on META shares. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Phillip Securities upgraded shares of Meta Platforms to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. KeyCorp cut their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $790.00 to $780.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Arete Research set a $735.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $785.22.

Meta Platforms Stock Up 1.1%

NASDAQ META opened at $578.54 on Wednesday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $520.26 and a 1 year high of $790.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.47 trillion, a PE ratio of 21.79, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.23 and a quick ratio of 2.23. The business's 50-day moving average is $592.78 and its 200 day moving average is $609.82.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). 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 the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $7.14 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,196 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total value of $5,063,409.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 13,186 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,260,343.46. This trade represents a 41.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 3,348 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $600.97, for a total transaction of $2,012,047.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 9,498 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,708,013.06. This trade represents a 26.06% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 32,987 shares of company stock worth $19,202,995. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts see Meta’s AI investments improving ad targeting and engagement, potentially allowing the company to challenge Google for digital-advertising leadership. The strong advertising outlook is particularly important after Meta’s latest quarter delivered 28% year-over-year revenue growth to $60.8 billion. Meta versus Google advertising analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Several reports characterize META as undervalued, citing a forward P/E of roughly 16—well below its historical average—and arguing that legal clarity plus new AI products could support substantial upside. The settlement may remove a major overhang even though it carries a large financial charge. Meta valuation and AI upside analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush reaffirmed a Neutral rating but raised or maintained a $595 price target, implying modest upside from the referenced trading level. Separately, the planned IPO of Meta-backed Indian telecom operator Jio Platforms could improve the value and liquidity of an important investment. Meta market news Jio Platforms IPO approval
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta is switching internal communications from Google Chat to Slack because management considers Slack better suited to AI agents. The move highlights Meta’s push to integrate AI into operations but is not expected to materially change near-term financial results. Meta switches to Slack
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta-backed AI startup Manus said it has resumed independent operations after China blocked Meta’s proposed acquisition. This removes some uncertainty around the transaction but also means Meta will not immediately gain full ownership of the startup. Manus resumes independent operations
• Negative Sentiment: The approximately $17 billion–$18 billion settlement over alleged harm to children creates a substantial cash cost and requires stronger age verification, potentially increasing compliance expenses and reducing young-user engagement. Critics also question whether the agreement will resolve regulatory pressure. Meta child-safety settlement requirements
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Meta spent heavily on AI infrastructure underscore depreciation and capital-expenditure risks: investors must determine whether the spending will generate enough incremental advertising and product revenue. Meta also removed dozens of India-based malware advertisements, highlighting continuing platform-safety and reputational risks. Big Tech AI spending risks Meta removes fraudulent India ads

About Meta Platforms

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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