Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Acquired by Ninety One SA Pty Ltd

Ninety One SA Pty Ltd increased its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 1,291.4% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 19,939 shares of the social networking company’s stock after buying an additional 18,506 shares during the period. Meta Platforms makes up approximately 0.7% of Ninety One SA Pty Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Ninety One SA Pty Ltd’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $14,501,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Horizons Wealth Management purchased a new position in Meta Platforms in the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at about $36,000. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on META. Tigress Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and set a $945.00 price objective (down from $995.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and set a $810.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $920.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday. Finally, HSBC reduced their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $905.00 to $830.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $808.88.

Insider Activity

In other Meta Platforms 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 owned 184,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $131,515,624.16. This trade represents a 17.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,196 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total transaction of $5,063,409.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,260,343.46. This trade represents a 41.09% decrease in their position. 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 149,797 shares of company stock valued at $102,180,385 in the last three months. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Meta Platforms Stock Down 3.7%

NASDAQ META traded down $27.39 during trading on Friday, reaching $709.33. 20,582,358 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 22,124,532. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $520.26 and a fifty-two week high of $779.82. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $655.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $625.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.81 trillion, a PE ratio of 26.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.19.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). The business had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. Meta Platforms’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $7.14 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.15 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were given a dividend of $0.5250 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is presently 7.91%.

Key Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America expects Meta to exceed third-quarter revenue expectations, forecasting $63.8 billion versus a $63.3 billion consensus estimate, and maintained a Buy rating with an $810 price target. Meta expected to beat revenue forecasts as AI boosts advertising, says Bank of America
• Positive Sentiment: Meta released the open-weight Muse Spark model for coding and AI-agent tasks, while its collaboration with Apple enables developers to run the model locally on high-end Mac computers. The developments could broaden adoption of Meta’s AI technology and reduce reliance on cloud infrastructure. Meta releases open-weight Muse Spark model
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan reaffirmed its Overweight rating and set a $920 price target, implying substantial upside, while other analysts including KeyCorp and Rosenblatt also maintained positive ratings. JPMorgan reaffirms Meta rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta is expected to report third-quarter results on October 21. Investors will focus on advertising growth, user metrics, profitability, capital expenditures, and management’s outlook for AI infrastructure spending. Meta Q3 earnings estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta withdrew $25 million from a previously announced $65 million effort to support political candidates considered favorable to the AI industry. The move may reduce near-term spending but signals a change in its political strategy. Meta Withdraws $25 Million from Its Midterms Push
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst-related pressure is weighing on the stock after Goldman Sachs lowered its expectations and Meta was reported down following an analyst downgrade, countering the more bullish JPMorgan view. Meta stock price down on analyst downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that AI infrastructure spending could reach approximately $205 billion in 2027. Heavy capital expenditures are reducing free cash flow, while potential legal charges and regulatory scrutiny add to earnings risk. Meta AI spending could hit $205 billion
• Negative Sentiment: Seven U.S. senators are questioning Meta’s claim of $6.6 billion in research tax credits for AI data centers, creating potential tax liability and reputational risk. Senators question Meta AI data-center tax credits

Meta Platforms Profile

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.