Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 5.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 31,833 shares of the social networking company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,612 shares during the period. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $20,970,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of META. State Street Corp lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 86,925,674 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $64,158,971,000 after buying an additional 1,650,435 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the third quarter worth about $1,191,175,000. Concentrum Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 948.7% in the third quarter. Concentrum Wealth Management now owns 1,243,577 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $913,000 after buying an additional 1,124,998 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 209.3% in the 3rd quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 430,434 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $314,340,000 after acquiring an additional 824,276 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 3rd quarter valued at about $540,634,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.
Meta Platforms Stock Performance
Shares of Meta Platforms stock opened at $610.45 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.35, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.54 trillion, a P/E ratio of 22.19, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.25. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $629.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $647.50. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month high of $796.25.
Meta Platforms Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th were issued a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is presently 7.63%.
Insider Activity at Meta Platforms
In other news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 8,089 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $631.24, for a total value of $5,106,100.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 2,841 shares in the company, valued at $1,793,352.84. The trade was a 74.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 56,571 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $644.70, for a total transaction of $36,471,323.70. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 166,638 shares of company stock valued at $106,697,681. 13.61% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $800.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $815.00 to $850.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $850.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt boosted their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $808.00 to $890.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $840.67.
Check Out Our Latest Report on Meta Platforms
Key Meta Platforms News
Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Strong AI-driven ad momentum: Meta’s recent quarter showed ~33% revenue growth driven by AI-powered ad pricing, reinforcing revenue durability and upside to ad monetization trends. Meta Platforms vs Snap: Who’s Really Winning Digital Ads?
- Positive Sentiment: Big data‑center expansion: Bloomberg/Reuters report Meta is lining up roughly $13 billion in financing (led by Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan) for a new El Paso, TX, AI/data-center complex — a sign of ongoing investment in AI capacity that supports long‑term revenue opportunities but also signals heavy capex. Meta taps Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan for El Paso data center deal, Bloomberg News reports
- Positive Sentiment: Product/AI R&D push: Meta acquired Assured Robot Intelligence (ARI) to accelerate humanoid‑robot AI efforts — an R&D move that underscores Meta’s broader AI roadmap and long‑term platform expansion. Meta Acquires ARI to Fuel Humanoid Robot Push
- Neutral Sentiment: Analyst actions are mixed: Several firms reaffirm Buy but trimmed price targets (e.g., Truist lowered its PT to $840 from $900 while keeping a Buy). This keeps institutional support intact but signals tempered near‑term upside expectations. Truist Reduces PT on Meta Platforms (META) Stock
- Negative Sentiment: Legal/regulatory risk — New Mexico youth‑safety trial: State seeks court-ordered platform changes and large penalties in a case alleging harm to young users; outcomes could force costly product changes or damages. New Mexico seeks changes to Meta platforms in youth harm trial
- Negative Sentiment: Reputation and regulatory headlines: Reuters won a Pulitzer for reporting on investigations that allege Meta knowingly exposed users (including minors) to harmful AI chatbots and profited from fraudulent ads — amplifies regulatory scrutiny and reputational risk. Reuters wins beat reporting Pulitzer for Meta investigations
- Negative Sentiment: Governance/legal probe: A shareholder law firm is investigating Meta’s board for potential oversight failures around privacy and AI training practices — another headline that can pressure investor sentiment. Berger Montague PC Investigates Meta Platforms, Inc.’s Board of Directors for Breach of Fiduciary Duty
About Meta Platforms
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.
Further Reading
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