Weitz Investment Management Inc. Cuts Stock Holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• Weitz Investment Management reduced its Meta stake by 2.6% in the second quarter, selling 2,750 shares and retaining 102,960 shares valued at approximately $58 million. Meta remains 4% of Weitz’s portfolio and its eighth-largest holding.
• Meta reported 28% year-over-year revenue growth to $60.8 billion, exceeding estimates, although adjusted earnings of $6.18 per share missed the $7.19 consensus forecast. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $788.88 versus the reported share price of $673.31. Analysts cited AI monetization and advertising improvements as potential catalysts, while regulatory costs and large AI infrastructure investments remain risks.

Weitz Investment Management Inc. lessened its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 2.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 102,960 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 2,750 shares during the period. Meta Platforms comprises 4.0% of Weitz Investment Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 8th largest position. Weitz Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $57,996,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 18.6% in 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 during the last quarter. Abbot Financial Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 53.5% during the second quarter. Abbot Financial Management Inc. now owns 2,845 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $1,603,000 after purchasing an additional 991 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 17.4% in the 1st quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 18,000 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $10,299,000 after buying an additional 2,670 shares during the last quarter. WMS Group LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter worth about $876,000. Finally, Czech National Bank lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 625,079 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $352,101,000 after buying an additional 29,411 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of Meta Platforms stock opened at $673.31 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.23 and a quick ratio of 2.23. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $605.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $609.16. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $520.26 and a 1 year high of $790.80. The company has a market capitalization of $1.72 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.25.

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). The company had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. Meta Platforms's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $7.14 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.17 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st will be paid a $0.525 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio is 7.91%.

Key Meta Platforms News

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.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total transaction of $2,002,514.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 6,271 shares in the company, valued at $3,875,854.26. The trade was a 34.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $650.28, for a total value of $13,005,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 244,516 shares in the company, valued at $159,003,864.48. The trade was a 7.56% decrease in their position. 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 61,758 shares of company stock worth $37,709,420 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on META. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Meta Platforms from $835.00 to $640.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Meta Platforms from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $640.00 to $820.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $886.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Wednesday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $788.88.

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.

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