Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock Sold by Burr Financial Services LLC

Burr Financial Services LLC cut its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 76.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,858 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 12,699 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms makes up about 1.7% of Burr Financial Services LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Burr Financial Services LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $2,798,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Auto Owners Insurance Co raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 76,587.7% during the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 105,292,277 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $69,502,379,000 after purchasing an additional 105,154,977 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 4.0% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 92,033,963 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $51,841,811,000 after acquiring an additional 3,510,123 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 14.6% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,038,035 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $12,036,491,000 after acquiring an additional 2,673,494 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 18,200,469 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $12,013,948,000 after purchasing an additional 1,046,715 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 12,836,063 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $7,230,426,000 after purchasing an additional 162,909 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of META traded down $5.89 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $715.42. 6,828,145 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,427,426. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $634.11 and a 200-day moving average of $618.50. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a one year low of $520.26 and a one year high of $779.82. The firm has a market cap of $1.82 trillion, a P/E ratio of 26.99, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.23 and a quick ratio of 2.23.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $7.14 EPS. Meta Platforms’s quarterly revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were given 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 payout ratio is presently 7.91%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on META shares. Wedbush upped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $595.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 11th. Tigress Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $945.00 target price (down from $995.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. KeyCorp upped their price target on Meta Platforms from $780.00 to $900.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Scotiabank reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $600.00 price objective (down from $700.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price objective on Meta Platforms from $955.00 to $855.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have issued a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $791.86.

Key Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen reaffirmed its “Buy” rating and set an $865 price target, implying roughly 20% upside from recent levels. The firm’s view supports the case that Meta’s AI investments can drive future growth. TD Cowen rating report
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s Muse AI assistant launched on iPad shortly after its mobile debut and has topped app-download charts. Sustained adoption could create a new consumer platform and improve the long-term payoff from Meta’s AI spending. Meta Muse launches on iPad
• Positive Sentiment: Meta and Sierra are developing the Personal Agent Protocol with partners including Shopify, Stripe, Walmart and Genesys. An open standard for AI agents to transact with businesses could expand Meta’s role in AI commerce and customer interactions. Meta and Sierra AI agent protocol
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo recently raised its price target to $1,000 and maintained an Overweight rating, citing enthusiasm around the Muse product cycle. A broad analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy.” Wells Fargo raises Meta price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta is collaborating with AMD, Broadcom, Microsoft and Arista Networks on open, high-density Ethernet infrastructure. The effort may improve AI data-center flexibility, but it also underscores the scale of capital spending required. AI infrastructure collaboration
• Neutral Sentiment: Manus raised more than $500 million after Meta unwound its proposed acquisition of the Chinese AI startup. The financing gives Manus independence but highlights that Meta no longer controls a potentially valuable AI asset. Manus funding after Meta exit
• Negative Sentiment: Florida’s attorney general is seeking restrictions on users under 14 and wants a court to limit features such as Instagram and Facebook’s infinite scroll. Potential product restrictions, compliance costs and reduced engagement pose risks to advertising revenue. Florida legal action against Meta
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that Meta and other hyperscalers are burning cash on AI data centers before returns are proven. Meta’s AI strategy primarily depends on monetizing its own apps rather than selling cloud capacity externally, increasing execution risk. AI infrastructure cash-flow analysis
• Negative Sentiment: COO Javier Olivan sold shares through a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. While the transactions are not necessarily a warning, insider selling can modestly weigh on sentiment. Meta insider sale filing

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $728.08, for a total value of $688,763.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 7,878 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,735,814.24. The trade was a 10.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a 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, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total transaction of $21,359,386.56. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 148,222 shares of company stock worth $101,033,627 over the last three months. 13.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Meta Platforms

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.