Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co Reduces Holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co. reduced its Meta Platforms stake by 1.8%, selling 6,800 shares and retaining 374,094 shares valued at approximately $210.7 million. Institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of Meta’s stock.
• Insiders have been selling shares: Christopher Cox and CFO Susan Li sold stock under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, while insiders sold 61,758 shares worth about $37.7 million over the past quarter.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with Meta carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $788.88. The company reported 28% year-over-year revenue growth to $60.8 billion, though quarterly EPS of $6.18 missed estimates.

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co trimmed its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 374,094 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 6,800 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms makes up approximately 1.1% of Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co's holdings, making the stock its 13th largest position. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $210,723,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. RHL Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Advantage Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Bayban increased 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 purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter worth about $48,000. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $650.28, for a total value of $13,005,600.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 244,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $159,003,864.48. This represents a 7.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,196 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total value of $5,063,409.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,186 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,260,343.46. This represents a 41.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 have sold 61,758 shares of company stock valued at $37,709,420 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on META shares. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $800.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Phillip Securities raised shares of Meta Platforms to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Mizuho set a $750.00 price target on Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Citizens Jmp decreased their price target on Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $770.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Scotiabank reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $600.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $788.88.

Meta Platforms News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: AI subscriptions create a potential new revenue stream. Meta launched Meta One subscription tiers offering expanded access to AI tools and premium features across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. The company says the program has reached 15 million subscriptions and trials, supporting the case that Meta can generate recurring revenue beyond advertising. Reuters article on Meta One subscriptions
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain bullish. Rosenblatt reaffirmed a Buy rating with an $886 price target, while JPMorgan highlighted improving AI monetization and better advertising performance. Citi also said next week’s developers conference could provide a catalyst if Meta unveils compelling AI and hardware updates. Citi commentary on Meta’s upcoming event
• Positive Sentiment: New hardware and infrastructure initiatives could broaden Meta’s AI ecosystem. Meta reportedly plans to launch camera-free smart glasses this fall, while expanded use of proprietary AI chips could reduce reliance on Nvidia and potentially lower computing costs. Reuters article on camera-free smart glasses
• Neutral Sentiment: Management is defending a faster, company-led AI development strategy. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Meta delayed its Muse AI agent to address safety concerns but opposed broad development slowdowns, favoring independent evaluators and internal safeguards.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and execution risks remain. BMO identified expanding age-verification requirements as a potential challenge, while new restrictions on youth-oriented advertising practices could increase Meta’s legal and compliance costs. Investors are also watching the company’s large AI infrastructure commitments, which could pressure free cash flow if advertising growth or AI utilization disappoints.
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider selling adds a limited cautionary signal. COO Javier Olivan sold shares worth roughly $1.0 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The transactions reduce his holdings but do not necessarily indicate a change in management’s outlook.

Meta Platforms Stock Up 0.5%

NASDAQ META opened at $673.31 on Thursday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $520.26 and a 52 week high of $790.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.72 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.36, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a fifty day moving average of $605.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $609.16.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS 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 analysts' expectations of $60.22 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $7.14 earnings per share. Meta Platforms's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st will be paid a $0.525 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.91%.

Meta Platforms 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.

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