Washington Trust Advisors Inc. Decreases Position in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Washington Trust Advisors cut its Meta position by 5.5% in the second quarter, selling 3,937 shares and retaining 67,808 shares valued at approximately $38.2 million. Meta represents 2.8% of the firm’s portfolio, while institutional investors own 79.91% of the stock.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish on Meta, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $785.90. Recent target increases reflect optimism about the Muse AI assistant, new monetization opportunities and Meta’s AI hardware initiatives.
• Investors still face notable risks, including heavy AI and Reality Labs spending, regulatory litigation, a reported Muse security vulnerability, competitive barriers and insider stock sales. Meta also recently missed quarterly EPS estimates despite revenue growth of 28% year over year.

Washington Trust Advisors Inc. trimmed its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 5.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 67,808 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 3,937 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms makes up 2.8% of Washington Trust Advisors Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Washington Trust Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $38,195,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in META. Watchman Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Watchman Group Inc. now owns 5,091 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $2,913,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Penney Financial LLC boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 3.9% in the first quarter. Penney Financial LLC now owns 399 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $228,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.0% in the first quarter. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,519 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $869,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC now owns 985 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $564,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the period. Finally, Tenzing Financial LLC grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Tenzing Financial LLC now owns 1,210 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $726,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines 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 Price Performance

Shares of META stock opened at $751.66 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $779.82. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $615.16 and a 200-day moving average of $612.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.91 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). The business had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $7.14 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $680.27, for a total transaction of $643,535.42. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 9,770 shares in the company, valued at $6,646,237.90. The trade was a 8.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total value of $2,002,514.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 6,271 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,875,854.26. This represents a 34.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 123,333 shares of company stock valued at $80,795,845 over the last 90 days. 13.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

META has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Arete Research increased their price target on Meta Platforms from $735.00 to $806.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. Bank of America reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $810.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. Loop Capital upped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $740.00 to $955.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Raymond James Financial increased their target price on Meta Platforms from $650.00 to $860.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on Meta Platforms from $680.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Three investment 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $785.90.

About Meta Platforms

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.