Waverly Advisors LLC Buys 1,182 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Waverly Advisors increased its Meta stake by 1.2%, purchasing 1,182 shares to hold 96,092 shares valued at approximately $54.1 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 79.91% of Meta’s stock.
• Analysts maintain a broadly positive outlook, with 44 Buy, three Strong Buy and 10 Hold ratings; the consensus is Moderate Buy with a price target of $787.86.
• Meta reported 28% year-over-year revenue growth to $60.8 billion, though earnings per share missed estimates. Investors are weighing the company’s AI-driven growth opportunities against sharply higher capital spending, competitive pressure and privacy-related risks.

Waverly Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 96,092 shares of the social networking company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,182 shares during the quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $54,128,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 18.6% during the second quarter. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd now owns 18,777 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $10,577,000 after purchasing an additional 2,939 shares in the last quarter. Madison Wealth Partners Inc increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 33.6% in the second quarter. Madison Wealth Partners Inc now owns 3,031 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $1,707,000 after buying an additional 763 shares during the period. William John Sempolinski bought a new position in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $3,107,000. Sone Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 38.2% during the 2nd quarter. Sone Capital Management LLC now owns 16,059 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $9,046,000 after buying an additional 4,440 shares during the period. Finally, Lakewood Capital Management LP increased its position in Meta Platforms by 63.7% in the 2nd quarter. Lakewood Capital Management LP now owns 115,985 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $65,333,000 after acquiring an additional 45,130 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $750.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Wolfe Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $700.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $770.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Tigress Financial reiterated a "strong-buy" rating and set a $945.00 price target (down from $995.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday. Finally, China Renaissance decreased their target price on Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $700.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $787.86.

Insider Activity

In other news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total transaction of $4,379,184.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 828 shares of the company's stock, valued at $462,024. The trade was a 90.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total transaction of $21,359,386.56. 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 90 days, insiders have sold 150,807 shares of company stock valued at $102,155,232. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta launched the Meta Enterprise Platform, offering businesses and developers access to its Muse AI agent, Business Agent, Muse API and Muse Code. The company hired MongoDB CEO Chirantan “CJ” Desai to lead the initiative, signaling an effort to generate revenue from its multibillion-dollar AI investments beyond advertising. Meta launches enterprise AI platform
• Positive Sentiment: Muse’s integration across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp is supporting rapid user adoption; the AI-powered app reportedly reached the top spot in the U.S. App Store. Analysts also see potential revenue from subscriptions, transaction fees, enterprise tools and commercial API licensing. Meta Platforms boosts ad engagement with AI
• Positive Sentiment: Monness Crespi & Hardt raised its price target on META to $830 from $730 and maintained a Buy rating, citing the company’s AI opportunity and expanding ecosystem. AI improvements are also reportedly increasing ad engagement, clicks and conversions. Meta Platforms price target raised
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors remain divided over Meta’s AI strategy. Bullish analysts expect new AI agents, smart glasses and enterprise software to create additional revenue streams, while others question whether the returns will justify the investment.
• Negative Sentiment: Capital expenditures rose sharply to $31.1 billion in the second quarter from $19.4 billion a year earlier. The scale of data-center and AI spending is raising concerns about returns on capital and near-term margins. Meta Platforms: Are You Going to Buy the Promise?
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that OpenAI is developing a competing AI assistant intensified competitive concerns. Separately, alleged Muse disclosures of private messages and a user’s address have triggered privacy and safety criticism, potentially creating regulatory and reputational risks. Elon Musk amplifies privacy concerns over Muse
• Negative Sentiment: Meta also faces legal and political overhang after a New Mexico jury found that Facebook misled residents about personal-data practices, while lawmakers are questioning AI and data-center tax subsidies. Recent gains have additionally left the valuation less compelling, increasing sensitivity to execution disappointments.

Meta Platforms Stock Down 4.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $715.62 on Tuesday. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $616.56 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $613.27. The firm has a market cap of $1.82 trillion, a P/E ratio of 26.95, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.23. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52-week low of $520.26 and a 52-week high of $779.82.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last released 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). Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. 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 prior 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, research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio is presently 7.91%.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.

Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.

Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.

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