Coastal Bridge Advisors LLC Sells 910 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Coastal Bridge Advisors LLC decreased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,197 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 910 shares during the period. Meta Platforms makes up about 1.1% of Coastal Bridge Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Coastal Bridge Advisors LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $14,098,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors raised its position in Meta Platforms by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors now owns 3,506 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $2,587,000 after buying an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.6% in the second quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 2,223 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,641,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Vista Capital Partners Inc. lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the second quarter. Vista Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,075 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $794,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Trust Co of the South boosted its holdings 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 worth $1,359,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sentinel Pension Advisors LLC grew its position in Meta Platforms by 1.6% in the third quarter. Sentinel Pension Advisors LLC now owns 915 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $672,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Jennifer Newstead sold 519 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $658.69, for a total value of $341,860.11. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 28,658 shares in the company, valued at $18,876,738.02. The trade was a 1.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $618.28, for a total value of $358,602.40. Following the transaction, the director owned 5,587 shares in the company, valued at $3,454,330.36. The trade was a 9.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 39,594 shares of company stock valued at $24,325,407. Insiders own 13.61% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst & media bullishness around Meta’s AI leadership and product traction reinforces upside potential — commentators (e.g., Jim Cramer) highlight Meta’s progress in automating model development, which supports the view that Meta can scale AI more efficiently. Meta Platforms (META) CEO Zuckerberg Has “Figured Out How to Have AI Make AI,” Says Jim Cramer
• Positive Sentiment: Bull case pieces argue Meta is monetizing AI strongly (ad redistribution, Reels engagement, models like Lattice/GEM), underpinning revenue and margins upside if execution continues. Meta: Buy The AI Revolution
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s elevated 2026 capex guide and extension of MTIA from inference to training signal sustained hyperscaler demand for AI infrastructure — positive for long‑term AI revenue capture and for partners/suppliers. Meta Soars After-Hours Forecasting Fastest Growth Since 2021
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed institutional moves: some funds (e.g., First Eagle) trimmed positions while others boosted stakes (Alecta, Davis), reflecting both profit‑taking and conviction — a wash for longer‑term ownership trends. First Eagle Investment Management Trims Meta Platforms Stake
• Neutral Sentiment: ESG/energy moves (new PPA for Skull Creek solar) reduce power/operational risk long‑term but are non‑revenue and increase near‑term capital/contract commitments. Zelestra Expands Relationship with Meta — Skull Creek Solar PPA
• Negative Sentiment: Broad market pressure: a broad Big Tech sell‑off tied to fears of an AI spending bubble has removed over $1 trillion from sector values, pressuring META alongside peers as investors de‑risk. Big Tech sees over $1 trillion wiped from stocks as fears of AI bubble ignite sell-off
• Negative Sentiment: Sell‑side caution: Needham warns of 10–15% downside citing valuation and capex risk — analyst caution can amplify short‑term selling if investors fear margin pressure from rising AI spend. Why Needham Warns That Meta Platforms Stock Could Be Headed for 10%-15% Downside
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/regulatory risk: reports questioning the legality of Meta’s data collection and renewed scrutiny around research/data practices (e.g., Moltbook comparisons to 2017 experiments) raise reputational and compliance concerns in key markets. Why Meta Platforms’ data collection is illegal Moltbook furor reminiscent of 2017 Facebook research experiment
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: small, regular sales by COO Javier Olivan have been disclosed — modest on their own but can feed narratives of near‑term profit taking. SEC Filing – Javier Olivan sale

Analysts Set New Price Targets

META has been the topic of several analyst reports. Monness Crespi & Hardt boosted their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $808.00 to $890.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Meta Platforms from $815.00 to $830.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Arete Research set a $718.00 price target on Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $872.00 price objective (up previously from $830.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $860.00 target price (up from $750.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $847.40.

Meta Platforms Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of Meta Platforms stock opened at $661.46 on Friday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $479.80 and a 1 year high of $796.25. The company has a market capitalization of $1.67 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.28. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $656.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $695.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.60 and a quick ratio of 2.60.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.16 by $0.72. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 30.08% and a return on equity of 38.61%. The company had revenue of $59.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $58.33 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $8.02 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 23.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th were paid a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.94%.

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.