Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock: Louisbourg Investments Inc. Cuts Position

Louisbourg Investments Inc. decreased its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,126 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 1,098 shares during the period. Meta Platforms comprises 2.0% of Louisbourg Investments Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. Louisbourg Investments Inc.’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $11,694,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Horizons Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms during the third quarter worth about $33,000. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on META shares. Wedbush lifted their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $700.00 to $730.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. Citic Securities reduced their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $718.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $750.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $800.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Raymond James Financial boosted their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $650.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $833.12.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of Meta Platforms stock opened at $642.62 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $664.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $629.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 1.90. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a one year low of $520.26 and a one year high of $779.82. The company has a market cap of $1.64 trillion, a PE ratio of 21.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.19.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.86. The firm had revenue of $64.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $63.34 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 31.15% and a return on equity of 30.73%. The firm’s revenue was up 26.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $7.25 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

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

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q3 operating performance: Meta reported $64.6 billion in revenue, up 26% year over year, and adjusted earnings of $7.40 per share versus expectations of roughly $6.54. AI-driven recommendations and advertising tools are improving engagement, ad pricing and conversions. META Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Muse adoption supports the AI thesis: Meta’s Muse AI agent has surpassed 10 million downloads, strengthening the case that the company could eventually monetize AI through subscriptions, enterprise services and additional advertising. However, meaningful revenue contribution is expected later, potentially from 2027 onward. Meta Muse Adoption
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly constructive: UBS, Citigroup, Mizuho, JPMorgan, Bank of America and other firms raised or reaffirmed bullish ratings and price targets, citing resilient advertising growth and long-term AI potential. Some investors, including commentator Mike Khouw, view the selloff as a buying opportunity. Why Mike Khouw Is Buying Meta
• Neutral Sentiment: New Class C shares and a 2-for-1 split: Meta plans to issue one non-voting Class C share for each Class A and Class B share. The move should improve trading liquidity and give Mark Zuckerberg greater flexibility to sell shares or finance AI investment without surrendering voting control, but it does not by itself create economic value for shareholders. Meta’s New Non-Voting Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: Commercial terms delayed: Meta postponed controversial terms that publishers and advertisers said could authorize broader web scraping, moving implementation to November 20 from October 30. The delay may reduce near-term friction, though the underlying regulatory and customer concerns remain. Meta Delays Commercial Terms
• Negative Sentiment: AI spending is the main pressure: Meta lifted the lower end of its 2026 capital-expenditure forecast to $135 billion, with spending potentially reaching $145 billion. Free cash flow turned negative as infrastructure investment accelerated, while credit-default-swap costs reached records. Investors are questioning when Muse and other AI projects will generate returns. Meta AI Spending and Free Cash Flow
• Negative Sentiment: Legal and regulatory risks remain significant: Meta faces a $25 billion New Mexico privacy judgment, additional lawsuits alleging harm to children and scam advertising, and rising legal costs. The company plans to appeal the New Mexico ruling, but the liabilities add uncertainty and pressure margins. Meta New Mexico Privacy Judgment

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In other news, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 40,000 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Monday, September 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total transaction 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 approximately $131,515,624.16. The trade was a 17.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Monday, October 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $707.20, for a total transaction of $669,011.20. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 5,986 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,233,299.20. This trade represents a 13.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 149,906 shares of company stock valued at $102,347,409. Insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

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’s principal platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Threads, which enable users to connect, communicate, share content, and discover products and services.

Meta also operates Reality Labs, its division focused on virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies. Reality Labs develops products such as Meta Quest virtual reality headsets and related software and experiences, along with research and hardware intended to support immersive computing.