Turner Financial Group Inc. Purchases New Holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Turner Financial Group purchased a new Meta Platforms position of 1,278 shares valued at approximately $720,000 during the second quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own about 79.9% of Meta’s stock.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive: Meta has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $785.90, despite several firms recently lowering targets and Needham maintaining a hold rating.
• Meta’s latest quarter showed 28% year-over-year revenue growth to $60.8 billion, though earnings per share missed estimates. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share, while insider selling and ongoing AI-related capital spending remain areas of investor caution.

Turner Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 1,278 shares of the social networking company's stock, valued at approximately $720,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RHL Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Advantage Trust Co purchased a new position in Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in Meta Platforms in the second quarter worth approximately $32,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Bayban lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 100.0% in the 1st quarter. Bayban now owns 70 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

META has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Roth Capital decreased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Citic Securities cut their target price on Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $718.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Citigroup restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $865.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have given a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $785.90.

Key Stories Impacting 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 Stock Down 3.3%

NASDAQ META opened at $751.66 on Friday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a one year low of $520.26 and a one year high of $779.82. The firm has a market cap of $1.91 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 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 stock's 50 day simple moving average is $615.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $613.07.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released 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). Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%.The firm had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $7.14 EPS. The company's revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be issued a $0.5250 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is 7.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In other news, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total transaction of $2,002,514.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 6,271 shares in the company, valued at $3,875,854.26. This represents a 34.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $680.27, for a total value of $643,535.42. Following 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 123,333 shares of company stock worth $80,795,845. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding META? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.