Truist Financial Corp Raises Stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Truist Financial Corp increased its Meta Platforms stake by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, buying 18,029 additional shares and bringing its total position to 998,921 shares worth about $659.4 million.
• Meta continues to attract major institutional support, with large holders like Vanguard and State Street also adding shares; institutional investors now own 79.91% of the company.
• Meta reported strong quarterly results, including EPS of $10.44 versus a $6.67 estimate and revenue of $56.31 billion, while analysts remain broadly bullish with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $840.31.

Truist Financial Corp boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 1.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 998,921 shares of the social networking company's stock after buying an additional 18,029 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms makes up approximately 0.9% of Truist Financial Corp's portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Truist Financial Corp's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $659,377,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 7,269,279 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1.9% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 86,925,674 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $64,158,971,000 after purchasing an additional 1,650,435 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms in the third quarter worth $1,191,175,000. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter valued at $813,994,000. Finally, Concentrum Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 948.7% in the third quarter. Concentrum Wealth Management now owns 1,243,577 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $913,000 after buying an additional 1,124,998 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s recent earnings beat and revenue growth remain a key bullish driver, reinforcing the view that ad demand and AI-driven monetization are still accelerating. Analysts highlighted stronger advertiser tools and engagement as signs the business can keep compounding. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Meta is rolling out new privacy features for WhatsApp and AI chats, including an “incognito” mode, which could help address user trust concerns while supporting adoption of its AI products. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that WhatsApp monetization could expand through a premium subscription add another potential high-margin revenue stream, giving investors more confidence in Meta’s long-term earnings power. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary around Meta’s AI infrastructure spending and talent push suggests management is still investing aggressively in future growth, which some investors view as necessary to defend its competitive position. Article Title

Meta Platforms Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of Meta Platforms stock opened at $618.43 on Friday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $623.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $640.90. The company has a current ratio of 2.35, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $796.25. The company has a market cap of $1.56 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.48, a PEG ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.67 by $3.77. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 32.84% and a return on equity of 36.93%. The company had revenue of $56.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $55.56 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $6.43 earnings per share. Meta Platforms's revenue for the quarter was up 33.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.65 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on META shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Meta Platforms from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $810.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Wedbush lifted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $880.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Roth Mkm reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Citizens Jmp restated a "market outperform" rating and set a $900.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Four equities 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $840.31.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Meta Platforms Company Profile

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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