Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock Bought by Paragon Capital Management Inc.

Paragon Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 41.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,034 shares of the social networking company’s stock after buying an additional 893 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms accounts for 1.6% of Paragon Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Paragon Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $2,200,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of META. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 18.6% during the 2nd quarter. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd now owns 18,777 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $10,577,000 after buying an additional 2,939 shares in the last quarter. Madison Wealth Partners Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 33.6% in the 2nd quarter. Madison Wealth Partners Inc now owns 3,031 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,707,000 after buying an additional 763 shares during the period. William John Sempolinski acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $3,107,000. Sone Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 38.2% in the second quarter. Sone Capital Management LLC now owns 16,059 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $9,046,000 after buying an additional 4,440 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lakewood Capital Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 63.7% in the second quarter. Lakewood Capital Management LP now owns 115,985 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $65,333,000 after buying an additional 45,130 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms Stock Down 3.7%

Shares of NASDAQ META opened at $709.33 on Friday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $779.82. The company has a market capitalization of $1.81 trillion, a PE ratio of 26.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 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. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $655.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $625.86.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last released its quarterly 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). Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%. The company had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $7.14 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $900.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $920.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday. DZ Bank restated a “buy” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $860.00 to $840.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Finally, Loop Capital increased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $740.00 to $955.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $808.88.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In other news, insider Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total transaction of $28,510,400.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at $131,515,624.16. This trade represents a 17.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Susan 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 value of $5,063,409.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,260,343.46. This represents a 41.09% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 149,797 shares of company stock worth $102,180,385. Company 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.