Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock: Weaver Capital Management LLC Raises Position

Weaver Capital Management LLC grew its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 95.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 16,313 shares of the social networking company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,960 shares during the period. Meta Platforms comprises about 2.2% of Weaver Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest position. Weaver Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $11,830,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in META. Advantage Trust Co bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the second quarter worth $32,000. Horizons Wealth Management bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the third quarter worth $33,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the first quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC acquired a new position in Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

META has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Roth Capital reduced their price target on Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $820.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 25th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and issued a $865.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Evercore upped their target price on Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $860.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Pivotal Research increased their price target on Meta Platforms from $790.00 to $930.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Meta Platforms currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $808.88.

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In other news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total transaction of $21,359,386.56. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total value of $28,510,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 184,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $131,515,624.16. This represents a 17.82% 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 149,797 shares of company stock valued at $102,180,385 in the last 90 days. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America expects Meta to exceed third-quarter revenue expectations, forecasting $63.8 billion versus a $63.3 billion consensus estimate, and maintained a Buy rating with an $810 price target. Meta expected to beat revenue forecasts as AI boosts advertising, says Bank of America
• Positive Sentiment: Meta released the open-weight Muse Spark model for coding and AI-agent tasks, while its collaboration with Apple enables developers to run the model locally on high-end Mac computers. The developments could broaden adoption of Meta’s AI technology and reduce reliance on cloud infrastructure. Meta releases open-weight Muse Spark model
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan reaffirmed its Overweight rating and set a $920 price target, implying substantial upside, while other analysts including KeyCorp and Rosenblatt also maintained positive ratings. JPMorgan reaffirms Meta rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta is expected to report third-quarter results on October 21. Investors will focus on advertising growth, user metrics, profitability, capital expenditures, and management’s outlook for AI infrastructure spending. Meta Q3 earnings estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta withdrew $25 million from a previously announced $65 million effort to support political candidates considered favorable to the AI industry. The move may reduce near-term spending but signals a change in its political strategy. Meta Withdraws $25 Million from Its Midterms Push
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst-related pressure is weighing on the stock after Goldman Sachs lowered its expectations and Meta was reported down following an analyst downgrade, countering the more bullish JPMorgan view. Meta stock price down on analyst downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that AI infrastructure spending could reach approximately $205 billion in 2027. Heavy capital expenditures are reducing free cash flow, while potential legal charges and regulatory scrutiny add to earnings risk. Meta AI spending could hit $205 billion
• Negative Sentiment: Seven U.S. senators are questioning Meta’s claim of $6.6 billion in research tax credits for AI data centers, creating potential tax liability and reputational risk. Senators question Meta AI data-center tax credits

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

META stock traded down $27.39 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $709.33. 20,582,358 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 22,124,532. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.81 trillion, a PE ratio of 26.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.19. The business has a 50-day moving average of $655.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $625.86. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $520.26 and a 52 week high of $779.82. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). The business had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $7.14 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a dividend of $0.5250 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.91%.

Meta Platforms Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.

Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.

Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.