Sprucegrove Investment Management Ltd. Reduces Position in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Sprucegrove Investment Management sharply reduced its Meta Platforms stake by 75.3% in the fourth quarter, leaving it with 6,306 shares valued at about $4.16 million.
• Despite some funds trimming positions, Meta still has broad institutional support, with 79.91% of shares held by hedge funds and other investors.
• Meta reported a strong quarter, posting $10.44 EPS and $56.31 billion in revenue, both above expectations, while analysts currently rate the stock Moderate Buy with a consensus target of $840.31.

Sprucegrove Investment Management Ltd. cut its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 75.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,306 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 19,183 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for 0.5% of Sprucegrove Investment Management Ltd.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Sprucegrove Investment Management Ltd.'s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $4,163,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of META. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 34,551 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $20,230,000 after purchasing an additional 570 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,456 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $5,537,000 after purchasing an additional 875 shares during the last quarter. Headwater Capital Co Ltd increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 294.7% in the 1st quarter. Headwater Capital Co Ltd now owns 150,000 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $86,454,000 after purchasing an additional 112,000 shares during the last quarter. Dymon Asia Capital Singapore PTE. LTD. purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $213,000. Finally, Capital & Planning LLC acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at $322,000. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on META shares. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $835.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Arete Research restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Friday, March 27th. Argus restated a "buy" rating and issued a $800.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $800.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $840.31.

Meta Platforms Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $614.23 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.55 trillion, a P/E ratio of 22.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.25. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $622.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $640.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 2.35 and a quick ratio of 2.35. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year high of $796.25.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.67 by $3.77. The firm had revenue of $56.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $55.56 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 32.84% and a return on equity of 36.93%. Meta Platforms's quarterly revenue was up 33.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $6.43 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.65 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 926 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $604.57, for a total transaction of $559,831.82. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 6,853 shares in the company, valued at $4,143,118.21. This represents a 11.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $667.00, for a total transaction of $386,860.00. Following the sale, the director owned 3,847 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,565,949. This represents a 13.10% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 169,231 shares of company stock valued at $108,239,954. 13.61% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

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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