Tredje AP fonden Sells 137,628 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Tredje AP fonden reduced its Meta stake by 24.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 137,628 shares and leaving it with 426,570 shares valued at about $281.6 million. Meta still represented 2.1% of the fund’s portfolio and its 8th-largest holding.
• Meta continues to receive mostly positive analyst coverage, with the stock carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $840.19. Several firms recently trimmed targets slightly, but ratings remained broadly constructive.
• Meta reported strong quarterly results and launched a dividend, with Q1 earnings of $10.44 per share beating estimates and revenue rising 33.1% year over year to $56.31 billion. The company also declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.525 per share, payable June 25.

Tredje AP fonden trimmed its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 24.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 426,570 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 137,628 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises 2.1% of Tredje AP fonden's portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. Tredje AP fonden's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $281,575,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Westchester Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Key Capital Management INC bought a new position in Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 36.8% in the 4th quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 78 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

META has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $765.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $850.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Citigroup reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $815.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $800.00 price objective (down from $880.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Four research 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.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $840.19.

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta launched paid subscription plans for Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Meta AI, creating a new monetization path beyond advertising. Early reports suggest the pricing could meaningfully add to revenue over time, and analysts have highlighted upside if adoption builds. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Meta also announced a quarterly cash dividend, which may appeal to income-focused investors and signals confidence in the company’s cash generation. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary remained constructive, with Rosenblatt reaffirming a buy rating and raising its price target, reflecting optimism around Meta’s ad business, AI efforts, and new subscription revenue. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta committed additional funding to its Oversight Board through 2028, which supports governance stability but is unlikely to move the stock much on its own. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: COO Javier Olivan sold shares under a pre-arranged trading plan, which is routine insider activity and not necessarily a bearish signal.
• Negative Sentiment: Meta faces continued legal and reputational overhangs, including a Kentucky trial seeking a large penalty and a Supreme Court setback in the Vermont Instagram addiction case. Article Title

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ META opened at $635.29 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.61 trillion, a P/E ratio of 23.09, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.25. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average price of $617.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $636.91. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.67 by $3.77. The business had revenue of $56.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.56 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 36.93% and a net margin of 32.84%.The company's revenue was up 33.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $6.43 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.63%.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In other news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,847 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $607.83, for a total transaction of $4,769,642.01. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 414 shares of the company's stock, valued at $251,641.62. This trade represents a 94.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,195 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $607.84, for a total value of $5,589,088.80. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,186 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,014,978.24. This represents a 41.08% 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 40,366 shares of company stock valued at $25,038,396 in the last three months. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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