Vantage Investment Partners LLC Buys 19,567 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Vantage Investment Partners increased its Meta stake by 21.7% in the third quarter, buying 19,567 shares to hold 109,909 shares valued at about $79.7 million.
• Meta reported quarterly earnings of $7.40 per share, above the $6.54 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 26.1% year over year to $64.6 billion.
• Analysts’ consensus rating was “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $833.12; 47 analysts rated the stock Buy and seven rated it Hold.

Vantage Investment Partners LLC grew its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 21.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 109,909 shares of the social networking company's stock after buying an additional 19,567 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms accounts for about 4.8% of Vantage Investment Partners LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Vantage Investment Partners LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $79,704,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 92,033,963 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $51,841,811,000 after acquiring an additional 3,510,123 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 14.6% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,038,035 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $12,036,491,000 after buying an additional 2,673,494 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 12,836,063 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $7,230,426,000 after buying an additional 162,909 shares in the last quarter. Amundi lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 18.1% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 11,858,972 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $6,784,873,000 after acquiring an additional 1,815,017 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.0% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 10,429,812 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $5,964,745,000 after purchasing an additional 404,948 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $640.00, for a total transaction of $605,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 5,040 shares in the company, valued at $3,225,600. The trade was a 15.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 149,515 shares of company stock worth $102,183,520. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. CICC Research decreased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $773.00 to $700.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 31st. Arete Research upped their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $735.00 to $806.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $930.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. China Renaissance dropped their price target on Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $700.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Phillip Securities raised Meta Platforms from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $795.00 to $750.00 in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $833.12.

Meta Platforms Trading Up 2.4%

META opened at $621.03 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $672.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $632.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.90. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month high of $779.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.59 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.17, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.28.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.86. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 31.15% and a return on equity of 30.73%. The company had revenue of $64.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $63.34 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $7.25 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a dividend of $0.5250 per share. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is 7.16%.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s bond sale attracted orders reportedly reaching $58 billion, a sign of robust investor appetite for the company’s debt. That demand may have helped support the stock despite concerns about Big Tech’s AI spending. Article: Meta stock rises as $20B bond sale attracts strong investor demand
• Positive Sentiment: Meta completed a $15 billion, five-part U.S. bond sale. The successful issuance gives the company capital to support its investment plans, while recent earnings-call coverage highlighted ad growth and adoption of its Muse AI tools. Article: Meta raises $15 billion in five-part US bond sale Article: META Q3 Earnings Call Put Spotlight on Muse Growth and AI Spending
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta and Snap settled claims related to alleged harm to young users from social media; financial terms were not disclosed. The settlements avert the scheduled trial, but do not resolve broader scrutiny of platform design. Article: Snap Settled a Social Media Addiction Suit
• Negative Sentiment: The bond financing underscores the cost of Meta’s AI ambitions. Reports indicate borrowing costs rose, while the company is ramping up spending on data centers and AI models—raising questions about returns and pressure on future cash flow. Article: Apple Shares Slip, Meta Debt Costs Rise Article: Meta seeks to raise up to $25 billion in debt sale as AI spending jumps
• Negative Sentiment: Meta postponed new business terms after backlash over potential web scraping, and reports of its AI crawler overwhelming a small business website add to reputational and policy risks. Article: Meta delays new business terms after outcry over potential web scraping of news sites

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company's principal platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Threads, which enable users to connect, communicate, share content, and discover products and services.

Meta also operates Reality Labs, its division focused on virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies. Reality Labs develops products such as Meta Quest virtual reality headsets and related software and experiences, along with research and hardware intended to support immersive computing.

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.