Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock Holdings Raised by iA Global Asset Management Inc.

iA Global Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 14.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 357,819 shares of the social networking company’s stock after purchasing an additional 46,133 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms accounts for approximately 3.6% of iA Global Asset Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. iA Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $262,775,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of META. Bare Financial Services Inc bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at about $42,000. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $44,000. WFA Asset Management Corp lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 42.6% during the second quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 67 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Finally, Spurstone Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth about $59,000. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Meta Platforms Stock Down 3.0%

NASDAQ:META opened at $716.50 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $652.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $696.01. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $479.80 and a 52 week high of $796.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.81 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 2.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

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

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 726 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $591.60, for a total transaction of $429,501.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 6,035 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,570,306. The trade was a 10.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $609.35, for a total transaction of $365,610.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 7,347 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,476,894.45. This trade represents a 7.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 40,113 shares of company stock worth $24,621,042. Corporate insiders own 13.61% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $910.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $900.00 price target (up previously from $870.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $860.00 price target (up previously from $750.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $710.00 to $730.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $850.00 target price (up previously from $800.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $847.98.

Meta Platforms News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat + AI narrative shift: Meta reported stronger‑than‑expected Q4 revenue and EPS and management framed ad strength as early proof that AI investments are improving monetization and engagement — a narrative some analysts now call an AI profit cycle. Meta’s Story Just Flipped — Seeking Alpha
• Positive Sentiment: Strong guidance & analyst upgrades: Q1 revenue guidance topped Street expectations and many firms raised price targets or reiterated buys, supporting the recent rally and giving institutional investors cover to support higher valuations. MarketBeat: Meta Soars After‑Hours
• Neutral Sentiment: Business diversification tests: Meta is piloting premium subscriptions for Instagram/Facebook/WhatsApp and expanding AI features — potential long‑term upside but unclear near‑term revenue impact. CNBC: Premium subscription tests
• Neutral Sentiment: Supply deals validate buildout but signal capital intensity: large supplier agreements (e.g., with Corning) back the AI data‑center plan while confirming heavy multi‑year spending. CNBC: Corning deal
• Negative Sentiment: Massive 2026 CapEx: Management guided to $115B–$135B of capex for 2026 — far above prior levels — raising near‑term cash intensity and margin dilution concerns despite management saying operating income should hold. Reuters: CapEx rise
• Negative Sentiment: Reality Labs drag: XR/Reality Labs continues to burn cash (multi‑billion losses), creating an ongoing margin headwind and execution risk for non‑ad businesses. TechCrunch: $19B VR burn
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory & reputational headlines: A New Mexico trial alleging platforms exposed minors to exploitation and reports about content‑blocking controversies add legal and reputational risk that can pressure multiple‑quarter sentiment. Reuters: New Mexico trial
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term profit‑taking & headline noise: high short‑term expectations after the rally, occasional pundit criticism (e.g., Jim Cramer) and small insider sales add to volatility and can push the stock down after its run. 247WallSt: Jim Cramer critique

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.