Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock Sold by Cortland Associates Inc. MO

Cortland Associates Inc. MO cut its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 30,520 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 1,366 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for approximately 3.2% of Cortland Associates Inc. MO’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Cortland Associates Inc. MO’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $22,132,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in META. Corient Private Wealth LP boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 723.1% during the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 8,801,764 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $4,957,946,000 after acquiring an additional 7,732,446 shares during the period. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter worth $2,948,486,000. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.0% in the second 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 shares of Meta Platforms by 14.6% in 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 purchasing an additional 2,673,494 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 18.1% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 11,858,972 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $6,784,873,000 after purchasing an additional 1,815,017 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ META opened at $610.15 on Friday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $520.26 and a 1 year high of $779.82. The firm has a market cap of $1.56 trillion, a P/E ratio of 20.80, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.28. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $674.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $632.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a current ratio of 1.90.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.86. The business had revenue of $64.60 billion during 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 was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $7.25 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a dividend of $0.5250 per share. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is presently 7.16%.

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta launched Spaces, a collaboration feature for its Muse AI agents, following the rollout of Muse Voice. The new offerings may help strengthen user engagement and expand Meta’s consumer AI ecosystem. Meta introduces Spaces
• Positive Sentiment: Recent earnings commentary points to AI supporting Meta’s advertising operations, reinforcing the potential for the company’s AI investments to generate revenue. Takeaways from recent earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta paused planned updates to its terms and is keeping existing rules in place. The move avoids an immediate policy change, though the underlying issues remain unresolved. Meta pauses planned terms updates
• Neutral Sentiment: Plans for new nonvoting Class C shares have been described as effectively creating a 2-for-1 split. A split changes the number of shares, but does not by itself change the company’s underlying value; the structure preserves Mark Zuckerberg’s voting control. Is Meta Platforms next for a stock split?
• Negative Sentiment: Meta and other platforms sued to block California restrictions on social-media features for users under 16. The case adds regulatory uncertainty and potential legal costs. Platforms sue over California teen social-media law
• Negative Sentiment: Meta warned that political backlash and possible limits on data-center construction could complicate its AI expansion. Its $15 billion senior-notes offering also highlights the scale of financing required for investment. Data-center expansion concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Reported ETF net selling and insider share sales may add short-term pressure, although the disclosed insider transaction was made under a pre-arranged trading plan. ETFs are net sellers of Meta Platforms

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Meta Platforms news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $614.15, for a total value of $580,985.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 4,094 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,514,330.10. This represents a 18.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 151,090 shares of company stock valued at $103,150,807 in the last quarter. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on META. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $775.00 to $820.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 19th. Daiwa Securities Group reduced their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $790.00 to $687.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price 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. Loop Capital raised their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $740.00 to $955.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. Finally, Citic Securities lowered their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $718.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $833.12.

Meta Platforms 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.

Founded in 2004 as Facebook by Mark Zuckerberg and fellow students, the company changed its name to Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect its broader focus on building social technologies and immersive digital experiences.