Trust Co. of Vermont Raises Stock Position in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Trust Co. of Vermont increased its stake in Meta by 7.1% in Q4 to 66,128 shares worth $43.65 million, representing about 1.8% of the firm's portfolio and its 9th largest holding.
• Insiders have been sizable net sellers: COO Javier Olivan sold 926 shares and CFO Susan J. Li sold 56,571 shares, and insiders disposed of 160,931 shares (≈$103 million) over the past 90 days while still owning 13.61% of the stock.
• Meta delivered a strong quarter, reporting $8.88 EPS (vs. $8.16 est.) and $59.89B revenue (+23.8% y/y); the company has a $1.45 trillion market cap and an average analyst target of $843.57 with mostly positive ratings.

Trust Co. of Vermont grew its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 7.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 66,128 shares of the social networking company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,394 shares during the period. Meta Platforms comprises about 1.8% of Trust Co. of Vermont's portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Trust Co. of Vermont's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $43,650,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 926 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $605.38, for a total transaction of $560,581.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 13,335 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,072,742.30. This trade represents a 6.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 56,571 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $644.70, for a total transaction of $36,471,323.70. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 160,931 shares of company stock worth $102,997,526. Insiders own 13.61% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: OpenAI’s shutdown of Sora removes a high-profile short-form video rival and highlights the steep costs of an AI-only content feed, a development that reinforces Meta’s advantage with Reels and mixed human/AI content economics. This reduces competition risk for Meta’s core ad franchise.
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish investor commentary and buy-the-dip calls note Meta’s strong fundamentals — revenue growth, margin improvement from scaling down metaverse spend, and Threads/WhatsApp monetization — supporting a constructive thesis for the stock. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs / broader analyst signals: coverage arguing that lower valuations in tech create opportunities is helping sentiment for large-cap AI leaders like Meta, attracting flow into the Magnificent 7. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings preview and expectations: market previews emphasize Meta’s upcoming quarterly report and elevated sales/AI monetization expectations — positive if results confirm guidance, but risk remains if ad traction slows. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading characteristics: market commentators note Meta’s relatively controlled intraday moves and steadier liquidity compared with higher-volatility AI plays — suggests institutional steadiness rather than speculative froth. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrade: at least one sell‑side firm trimmed Meta to a “Hold,” which can damp near-term upside and signals lingering concerns around valuation, AI spend and regulatory/legal exposure. Read More.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

META opened at $575.05 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.60, a quick ratio of 2.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company's fifty day moving average price is $633.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $656.17. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $479.80 and a 1-year high of $796.25. The company has a market cap of $1.45 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.47, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.31.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.16 by $0.72. The company had revenue of $59.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $58.33 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 30.08% and a return on equity of 38.61%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 23.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $8.02 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th were issued a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.94%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Raymond James Financial cut their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $800.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 26th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $710.00 to $730.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Wolfe Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $850.00 price objective (up from $800.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $880.00 to $920.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt boosted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $808.00 to $890.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $843.57.

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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