Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Acquired by Wedge Capital Management L L P NC

Wedge Capital Management L L P NC raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 0.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 94,915 shares of the social networking company’s stock after purchasing an additional 890 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises about 1.1% of Wedge Capital Management L L P NC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $62,652,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in META. Trust Co of the South increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 0.8% during the third quarter. Trust Co of the South now owns 1,850 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,359,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Sentinel Pension Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Sentinel Pension Advisors LLC now owns 915 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $672,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management now owns 4,301 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $3,159,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 454 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $334,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Finally, Vista Capital Partners Inc. grew its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Vista Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,075 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $794,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 8,089 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $631.24, for a total transaction of $5,106,100.36. Following the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 2,841 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,793,352.84. The trade was a 74.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 2,461 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Sunday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $639.77, for a total transaction of $1,574,473.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 12,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,746,335.16. This trade represents a 16.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 161,448 shares of company stock valued at $103,333,788. Company insiders own 13.61% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of META stock opened at $579.23 on Thursday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $479.80 and a 12-month high of $796.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.60 and a quick ratio of 2.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.47 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.31. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $640.94 and a 200 day simple moving average of $662.64.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.16 by $0.72. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 38.61% and a net margin of 30.08%.The company had revenue of $59.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $58.33 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $8.02 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 23.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th were paid a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.94%.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: China’s commerce ministry said it supports law‑abiding transnational technology deals, which reduces near‑term risk that Beijing will block or heavily restrict Meta’s cross‑border partnerships. China says it supports law-abiding transnational deals after reports of Meta deal review
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley trimmed its price target to $775 but kept an “Overweight” rating and called Meta a top pick — a high‑profile analyst endorsement that supports buying interest after the recent pullback. Morgan Stanley Trims PT on Meta Platforms (META) to $775 Amid Softer Advertising Backdrop
• Positive Sentiment: Meta continues to push AI product and infra initiatives: it’s building an elite AI lab for recommendations and expanding data‑center supply chains (Corning ground‑breaking) — moves that underpin management’s AI monetization thesis. Meta is assembling an elite new AI lab for its recommendations division Corning and Meta Celebrate Start of Construction on Cable Manufacturing Expansion
• Positive Sentiment: New product launches — two new Ray‑Ban prescription smart glasses and Oakley updates — provide nearer‑term consumer monetization levers outside ads. Product momentum is being cited as a reason investors are “buying the dip.” Meta unveils two new Ray‑Ban prescription smart glasses
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta said it’s deploying AI to speed internal risk reviews during product development — operationally positive but with unclear immediate financial impact. Meta Deploys AI to Accelerate and Enhance Risk Review During Product Development
• Neutral Sentiment: More layoffs (168 roles in Washington state, VR division hit) are being reported — lowers near‑term opex but highlights execution and morale risks. Latest Meta layoffs target 168 employees in Washington state
• Negative Sentiment: Legal setbacks remain the largest overhang: recent jury verdicts (New Mexico and a California “addiction” case) create precedent risk and could open the door to thousands of follow‑on suits and potentially large aggregate damages — a major driver of the recent volatility. Meta is appealing, but uncertainty is high. Meta was finally held accountable for harming teens. Now what? Why Meta’s “Bellwether” Legal Loss Could Open Up a Can of Worms

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Meta Platforms from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. KeyCorp dropped their price target on Meta Platforms from $875.00 to $835.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $900.00 price target on Meta Platforms in a report on Monday, January 26th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and set a $800.00 price objective (up from $770.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, 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 Thursday, January 29th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $845.54.

Meta Platforms Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc (NASDAQ: META), formerly Facebook, Inc, is a global technology company best known for building social networking services and immersive computing platforms. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Menlo Park, California, the company operates a family of consumer-facing products and services that connect users, creators and businesses. In October 2021 the company rebranded as Meta to reflect an expanded strategic focus on augmented and virtual reality technologies alongside its social media businesses.

Meta’s core consumer products include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and community building across mobile and desktop devices.