X Square Capital LLC Has $6.25 Million Stock Position in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Key Points

• X Square Capital trimmed its Meta stake by 23.9% in the second quarter, selling 3,494 shares and retaining 11,098 shares worth approximately $6.25 million. Meta represents about 1.6% of the fund’s portfolio, while institutional investors collectively own 79.91% of the company.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish on Meta’s AI-driven growth prospects. New AI subscription tiers, potential smart-glasses launches and proprietary AI chips could diversify revenue and reduce infrastructure costs; the stock has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $788.88.
• Risks include regulatory costs, heavy AI infrastructure spending and weaker-than-expected earnings. Meta missed quarterly EPS estimates despite 28% year-over-year revenue growth, while executives have continued selling shares under pre-arranged trading plans.

X Square Capital LLC trimmed its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 23.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,098 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 3,494 shares during the period. Meta Platforms comprises about 1.6% of X Square Capital LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. X Square Capital LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $6,251,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in META. Objective Capital Management LLC grew its position in Meta Platforms by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Objective Capital Management LLC now owns 553 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $365,000 after buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Watchman Group Inc. increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 0.3% during the first quarter. Watchman Group Inc. now owns 5,091 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $2,913,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. Penney Financial LLC raised its holdings in Meta Platforms by 3.9% in the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1.0% in the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Finally, CWS Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.7% in 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. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

META has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $766.00 to $715.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $810.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $835.00 to $640.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Friday, September 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $815.00 to $725.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Meta Platforms currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $788.88.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Meta Platforms stock opened at $673.31 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $605.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $609.16. 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 company has a market capitalization of $1.72 trillion, a PE ratio of 25.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.25. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a one year low of $520.26 and a one year high of $790.80.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $7.14 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the 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 sale, the chief technology officer owned 828 shares of the company's stock, valued at $462,024. This represents a 90.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 3,348 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $600.97, for a total transaction of $2,012,047.56. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 9,498 shares in the company, valued at $5,708,013.06. This trade represents a 26.06% 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 61,758 shares of company stock worth $37,709,420 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company's stock.

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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