Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Purchased by Pictet Asset Management Holding SA

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 13.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,536,844 shares of the social networking company’s stock after buying an additional 179,071 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms accounts for approximately 1.1% of Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned 0.06% of Meta Platforms worth $1,114,489,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 92,033,963 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $51,841,811,000 after purchasing an additional 3,510,123 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 14.6% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,038,035 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $12,036,491,000 after buying an additional 2,673,494 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the second 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 buying an additional 162,909 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 18.1% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 11,858,972 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $6,784,873,000 after acquiring an additional 1,815,017 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 10,429,812 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $5,964,745,000 after acquiring an additional 404,948 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $631.03, for a total transaction of $596,954.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 3,148 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,986,482.44. This represents a 23.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 150,973 shares of company stock valued at $103,128,307. Company insiders own 13.42% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on Meta Platforms from $875.00 to $850.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a “buy” rating and set a $886.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Moffett Nathanson reduced their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $740.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $810.00 to $845.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, Arete Research lifted their target price on Meta Platforms from $735.00 to $806.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $833.12.

Meta Platforms Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ META opened at $623.61 on Friday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a twelve month low of $520.26 and a twelve month high of $779.82. The stock has a market cap of $1.59 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The company’s fifty day moving average is $679.23 and its 200-day moving average is $631.88.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.86. The firm had revenue of $64.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.34 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 30.73% and a net margin of 31.15%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $7.25 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.01 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a $0.5250 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.16%.

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

Here are a few of the latest headlines about META:

• Neutral Sentiment: COO Javier Olivan reported stock sales under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Such planned sales are not necessarily a signal about the company’s outlook, but may still draw investor attention. SEC ownership filing
• Negative Sentiment: United Airlines barred AI agents from booking flights, raising doubts about a prominent potential use case for Meta’s Muse agent and adding pressure to expectations for AI-related growth. United Airlines Bars AI Agents From Booking Tickets
• Negative Sentiment: Regulators in the UK fined Meta over repeated inaccuracies in WhatsApp Business data, while a Brazilian electoral court also fined Facebook over alleged campaign-related content issues. These actions add regulatory and reputational risk. Meta Fined by UK Regulator

Meta Platforms Company Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc. is a global technology company that develops social networking, messaging, and digital communication products. Its services include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Threads, which connect people and help businesses reach audiences around the world. The company also develops virtual and augmented reality products and technologies through its Reality Labs division, including Quest headsets and related software and services. Advertising is a central part of Meta’s business, with its platforms providing tools for businesses to promote products and services.