Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) Shares Acquired by Cetera Investment Advisers

Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 6.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 470,935 shares of the social networking company's stock after acquiring an additional 30,299 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms accounts for 0.6% of Cetera Investment Advisers' holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Cetera Investment Advisers' holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $275,737,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in META. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 60,193 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $35,243,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. Blue Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,039,000. Bowie Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Bowie Capital Management LLC now owns 175,214 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $102,590,000 after buying an additional 7,467 shares during the period. Cantor Fitzgerald L. P. lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1,395.5% during the 4th quarter. Cantor Fitzgerald L. P. now owns 11,321 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $6,629,000 after buying an additional 10,564 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 481,382 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $281,854,000 after acquiring an additional 34,935 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ META opened at $599.27 on Tuesday. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $573.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $604.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 2.98 and a current ratio of 2.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.52 trillion, a PE ratio of 25.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.24. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $442.65 and a fifty-two week high of $740.91.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The social networking company reported $6.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.33 by $1.10. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 37.91% and a return on equity of 38.17%. The business had revenue of $42.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $41.45 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $4.71 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.35%. This is a boost from Meta Platforms's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is 8.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on META shares. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Meta Platforms from $628.00 to $655.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $740.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Roth Capital increased their price target on Meta Platforms from $580.00 to $620.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Barclays dropped their target price on Meta Platforms from $705.00 to $640.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Argus set a $775.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, thirty-seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $696.45.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, CFO Susan J. Li sold 8,553 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Saturday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $736.67, for a total transaction of $6,300,738.51. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 51,793 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $38,154,349.31. This trade represents a 14.17 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 12,975 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $706.72, for a total transaction of $9,169,692.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 172,046 shares of the company's stock, valued at $121,588,349.12. The trade was a 7.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 222,724 shares of company stock valued at $157,259,224 in the last three months. 13.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc engages in the development of products that enable people to connect and share with friends and family through mobile devices, personal computers, virtual reality headsets, and wearables worldwide. It operates in two segments, Family of Apps and Reality Labs. The Family of Apps segment offers Facebook, which enables people to share, discuss, discover, and connect with interests; Instagram, a community for sharing photos, videos, and private messages, as well as feed, stories, reels, video, live, and shops; Messenger, a messaging application for people to connect with friends, family, communities, and businesses across platforms and devices through text, audio, and video calls; and WhatsApp, a messaging application that is used by people and businesses to communicate and transact privately.

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