Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC Has $19.05 Million Position in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Van Hulzen Asset Management increased its Meta Platforms stake by 4.1% in the fourth quarter, bringing its position to 28,863 shares worth about $19.05 million.
• Meta reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $10.44 beating estimates and revenue of $56.31 billion rising 33.1% year over year.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on META, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of about $840.19, even as some recent insider selling and regulatory concerns add caution.

Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 4.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 28,863 shares of the social networking company's stock after buying an additional 1,145 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for about 1.4% of Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $19,052,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Westchester Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Key Capital Management INC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter valued at $48,000. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Fairway Wealth LLC increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 36.8% in the 4th quarter. Fairway Wealth LLC now owns 78 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on META shares. Guggenheim decreased their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $800.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Argus reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $800.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Arete Research reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $800.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $1,015.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $840.19.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of META stock opened at $632.51 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.60 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.99, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.23. 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 company has a 50-day simple moving average of $617.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $636.92. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $520.26 and a 52 week high of $796.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 EPS 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 the consensus estimate of $55.56 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 32.84% and a return on equity of 36.93%. Meta Platforms's revenue was up 33.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.43 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued 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 payout ratio is presently 7.63%.

Meta Platforms News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta launched paid subscription plans across its flagship apps and Meta AI, opening a new monetization path that could reduce reliance on ad revenue. Mark Zuckerberg says a Meta cloud computing business 'definitely on the table'
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentators are pointing to the subscription push as a meaningful upside driver, with some estimating it could add billions in annual revenue if adoption is strong. Meta's Subscription Push Could Add $13.5 Billion By 2028 Across Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta also said it may eventually use excess AI/data-center capacity for a cloud business, which adds long-term optionality but is still early-stage. Mark Zuckerberg says a Meta cloud computing business 'definitely on the table'
• Neutral Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend, which is modest but reinforces capital-return strength. Meta Announces Quarterly Cash Dividend
• Negative Sentiment: Reuters reported Meta’s employee mouse-click tracking tool for AI training may run into EU privacy concerns, creating regulatory risk around data collection and cross-border use. Exclusive: Meta tool to track employee mouse clicks on collision course with EU privacy rules
• Negative Sentiment: Recent commentary from Jim Cramer and disclosures of insider selling add some caution around execution and valuation. Jim Cramer Says Meta “Has Not Excelled in a Visible Way”

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In related news, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,195 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $607.84, for a total transaction of $5,589,088.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 13,186 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,014,978.24. The trade was a 41.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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, COO Javier Olivan sold 837 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $608.98, for a total transaction of $509,716.26. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 13,823 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,417,930.54. The trade was a 5.71% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 40,890 shares of company stock worth $25,315,558. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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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