Styrax Capital LP Decreases Stock Holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Styrax Capital reduced its Meta stake by 43.2% in the second quarter, selling 132,981 shares and retaining 175,000 shares worth approximately $98.6 million. Meta remains 6.5% of the fund’s portfolio and its ninth-largest holding.
• Meta’s stock has rallied sharply but remains volatile. Shares opened at $751.66, near a one-year high of $779.82, after gaining roughly 36% in September; analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $785.90.
• AI growth prospects are balanced by meaningful risks. Investors are optimistic about the Muse AI assistant, wearables and new monetization opportunities, but remain concerned about heavy capital spending, regulatory litigation, security vulnerabilities and insider selling.

Styrax Capital LP lessened its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 43.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 175,000 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 132,981 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises 6.5% of Styrax Capital LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Styrax Capital LP's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $98,576,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Morling Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 5.0% during the second quarter. Morling Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $896,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.2% in the 2nd quarter. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. now owns 3,985 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $2,245,000 after buying an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Sovereign Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 6.0% in the 2nd quarter. Sovereign Investment Advisors LLC now owns 879 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $495,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Ameliora Wealth Management Ltd. now owns 1,983 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $1,117,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the period. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 17.8% during the 2nd quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 118,576 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $66,793,000 after acquiring an additional 17,912 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Muse momentum remains the main bullish catalyst. Early reviews, rising user traction and Meta’s new early-access program for upcoming Muse features are reinforcing expectations that the AI assistant could become a major consumer product and future revenue stream. Meta opens early access program for new Muse features
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are raising price targets. Deutsche Bank, TD Cowen, Canaccord Genuity and other firms lifted targets and maintained bullish ratings, citing Muse’s potential to expand Meta beyond advertising through subscriptions, commerce and AI services. Meta price targets raised as Muse gains momentum
• Positive Sentiment: AI hardware could broaden Muse’s distribution. Meta is integrating Muse into Ray-Ban AI glasses and introducing additional wearable and VR products, creating potential new hardware, services and commerce opportunities.
• Neutral Sentiment: Friday’s decline appears largely technical. After rising roughly 36% during September and approaching a $2 trillion market value, Meta faced profit-taking and a pullback from recent highs. Bullish options activity suggests some traders continue to view the weakness as a buying opportunity.
• Neutral Sentiment: Large capital spending remains a key debate. Investors are encouraged by Meta’s AI strategy but remain uncertain whether heavy spending on infrastructure and Reality Labs will generate sufficient returns.
• Negative Sentiment: New Mexico litigation adds regulatory risk. A jury found that Meta misled state residents in a case related to the Cambridge Analytica data scandal, potentially increasing legal costs and scrutiny. Meta misled consumers in New Mexico jury case
• Negative Sentiment: A Muse security vulnerability was identified. Meta is adding clearer safety warnings after a vulnerability reportedly could expose sensitive user information, raising concerns about trust and adoption of its AI agent. Meta bolsters Muse safety warning after vulnerability
• Negative Sentiment: Competition and monetization obstacles remain. Amazon blocked Muse from accessing its platform, while privacy concerns around camera-equipped glasses and skepticism toward new AI hardware could limit Meta’s growth plans.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling adds a cautionary signal. Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares and COO Javier Olivan sold shares under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans. The transactions do not necessarily indicate reduced confidence, but they add to concerns after the stock’s rapid advance.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

META stock opened at $751.66 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $1.91 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 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 company has a 50 day simple moving average of $615.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $612.83. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $520.26 and a 1 year high of $779.82.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). The company had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $7.14 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.5250 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Meta Platforms news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $680.27, for a total value of $643,535.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 9,770 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,646,237.90. This trade represents a 8.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 40,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total value of $28,510,400.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. This trade represents a 17.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 123,333 shares of company stock worth $80,795,845 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

META has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday. Moffett Nathanson cut their target price on Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $740.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. KeyCorp raised their target price on Meta Platforms from $780.00 to $900.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. New Street Research decreased their price target on Meta Platforms from $730.00 to $700.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Tigress Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating and set a $945.00 price target (down from $995.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $785.90.

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc develops technologies that help people connect, communicate and build communities online. The company's principal products include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and digital communication.

Meta generates most of its business through advertising displayed across its family of apps. It also develops artificial intelligence technologies, business messaging tools and hardware and software through its Reality Labs division, including Quest virtual- and mixed-reality devices and related experiences.

The company was founded as Facebook in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and was renamed Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect its broader focus on building the metaverse.

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