Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock: Ninety One North America Inc. Grows Stake

Ninety One North America Inc. lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 55.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,314 shares of the social networking company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,034 shares during the quarter. Ninety One North America Inc.’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $8,205,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of META. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 7.2% during the third quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 35,431 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $25,694,000 after buying an additional 2,387 shares during the last quarter. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 12.2% during the third quarter. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors now owns 4,592 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $3,331,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Nvwm LLC raised its position in Meta Platforms by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Nvwm LLC now owns 12,617 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $9,150,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. KG Capital Management raised its position in Meta Platforms by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. KG Capital Management now owns 1,793 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,300,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 938,148 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $680,326,000 after acquiring an additional 7,182 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

META stock traded down $27.39 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $709.33. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 20,582,358 shares, compared to its average volume of 22,124,532. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $655.78 and its 200 day moving average price is $625.86. 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $520.26 and a 1 year high of $779.82. The stock has a market cap of $1.81 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.72, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.19.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The business had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $7.14 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.15 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a $0.5250 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is 7.91%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

META has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Monness Crespi & Hardt lifted their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $730.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 28th. DZ Bank reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. China Renaissance dropped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $700.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 31st. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $900.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $770.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, September 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $808.88.

More Meta Platforms News

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

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total value of $4,379,184.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer owned 828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $462,024. The trade was a 90.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,196 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total transaction of $5,063,409.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 13,186 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,260,343.46. The trade was a 41.09% 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 company insiders.

Meta Platforms Company 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.