Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY Acquires 4,726 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY raised its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 14.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 37,665 shares of the social networking company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,726 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms accounts for 1.7% of Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $21,216,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. WealthBridge Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 16.6% in the second quarter. WealthBridge Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 10,305 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $5,805,000 after acquiring an additional 1,470 shares during the period. Tompkins Financial Corp increased its position in Meta Platforms by 59.8% during the 2nd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 4,354 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $2,453,000 after purchasing an additional 1,629 shares during the period. Park National Corp OH increased its position in Meta Platforms by 7.9% during the 2nd quarter. Park National Corp OH now owns 92,967 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $52,367,000 after purchasing an additional 6,840 shares during the period. BDFS Capital LLC raised its holdings in Meta Platforms by 110.4% in the 2nd quarter. BDFS Capital LLC now owns 2,786 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $1,569,000 after purchasing an additional 1,462 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Secure Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 54.1% during the 2nd quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 8,120 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $4,574,000 after purchasing an additional 2,849 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on META shares. Mizuho set a $750.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. KeyCorp lowered their target price on Meta Platforms from $790.00 to $780.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $810.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Monness Crespi & Hardt reduced their price target on Meta Platforms from $890.00 to $730.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $800.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $785.32.

More Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta is reportedly considering selling excess data-center capacity to third parties, which could help monetize its substantial AI infrastructure spending and create an additional revenue stream. The plan remains exploratory. Should You Buy Meta Platforms Stock Below $600 Before Mark Zuckerberg Unveils Its AI Cloud Business?
• Neutral Sentiment: Alibaba’s release of a laptop-ready Qwen model and open model weights underscores intensifying competition in AI, although the immediate financial impact on Meta is uncertain. Alibaba answers Meta’s AI challenge with new laptop-ready model
• Negative Sentiment: Meta is facing a major federal trial brought by 29 state attorneys general, who allege Facebook and Instagram were deliberately designed to addict children and that the company misled the public about related risks. The states are seeking financial penalties—potentially as high as $1.4 trillion—and court-ordered product changes. Meta faces ‘astronomical’ consequences as legal fight reaches critical moment in California
• Negative Sentiment: The legal overhang intensified after Meta recently lost a nearly $1 billion judgment in a similar New Mexico case. Investors are concerned that an adverse outcome could produce significant financial penalties, costly changes to platform design and broader regulatory restrictions, with thousands of related lawsuits potentially following. Meta Faces 29 States in Court Tuesday
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are also scrutinizing Meta’s AI spending. Data-center construction is consuming cash, while reported off-balance-sheet financing arrangements and residual-value guarantees could create future obligations if AI assets become unprofitable or underused. What Could Meta Platforms Off Balance Sheet AI Financing Mean For Investors?

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In other news, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $561.56, for a total value of $280,780.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,943 shares in the company, valued at $1,652,671.08. The trade was a 14.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 1,258 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $600.00, for a total value of $754,800.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 1,517 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $910,200. This represents a 45.33% 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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 17,772 shares of company stock worth $10,823,658. Insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

NASDAQ:META opened at $568.97 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.23. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $595.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $619.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.45 trillion, a PE ratio of 21.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.25. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52-week low of $520.26 and a 52-week high of $790.80.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last posted 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 return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%.The company had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $7.14 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.5 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.91%.

Meta Platforms Company 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.