Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Position Reduced by Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp decreased its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 3.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,382,718 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 54,424 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for about 2.2% of Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp owned approximately 0.06% of Meta Platforms worth $1,015,440,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at approximately $23,155,393,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 73,443.1% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,417,003 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $6,212,506,000 after buying an additional 8,405,558 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 86,925,674 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $64,158,971,000 after acquiring an additional 1,650,435 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 192,591,101 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $142,149,566,000 after acquiring an additional 1,532,568 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 103.5% in the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,998,624 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,475,166,000 after acquiring an additional 1,016,667 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and cash-flow cushion justify large AI capex: Meta reported 24% revenue growth (Q4) and strong operating cash flow that analysts say supports the company’s ~$125–135B 2026 capex plan to build AI infrastructure — framing the spend as growth-investment rather than reckless outlay. Meta Platforms: Don’t Fear AI Spending
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street lifts price targets: Multiple firms raised targets (examples include Cantor Fitzgerald to $860 and several published raises up to ~$1,144), signaling renewed analyst confidence after the quarter — this upward pressure on targets supports bullish sentiment. Cantor Fitzgerald Hikes Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Positive analyst commentary and AI narrative: Several bullish write-ups argue Meta’s huge AI investment and vertical integration (chips, data centers, models) are strategic advantages that can drive sustained ad and platform monetization growth. Meta Platforms’ $135 Billion Bet Makes Complete Sense
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst notes and conference-call nuance: Some firms reiterated Hold or balanced views, and the earnings call highlighted booming ad revenue but also sharply higher costs — a reminder that margin/return on the capex will be watched closely. Hold Rating Reiterated at Needham
• Negative Sentiment: Patent lawsuit over smart glasses adds legal/operational risk: A pending patent suit targets Meta’s smart-glasses program, creating potential damages, injunction risk, and distraction as the company scales hardware/AR initiatives. Patent Lawsuit Tests Meta Smart Glasses
• Negative Sentiment: Trial activity begins in Santa Fe: Jury selection for a separate legal matter is starting, keeping litigation headlines active and creating headline-driven volatility risk. Meta on trial: Jury selection to begin
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrade hit: At least one downgrade pushed the stock down intraday (~3% noted in reports), showing that not all firms have upgraded conviction and that negative notes still trigger selling pressure. Trading Down 3% on Analyst Downgrade

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In related news, insider Jennifer Newstead sold 519 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $658.69, for a total transaction of $341,860.11. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 28,658 shares in the company, valued at $18,876,738.02. This represents a 1.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $618.28, for a total transaction of $358,602.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 5,587 shares in the company, valued at $3,454,330.36. This represents a 9.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 39,596 shares of company stock valued at $24,281,890 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 13.61% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of META stock opened at $716.50 on Monday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52-week low of $479.80 and a 52-week high of $796.25. The company has a quick ratio of 2.60, a current ratio of 2.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market cap of $1.81 trillion, a PE ratio of 30.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.28. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $652.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $695.96.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.16 by $0.72. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 38.61% and a net margin of 30.08%.The company had revenue of $59.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $58.33 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $8.02 earnings per share. Meta Platforms’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Roth Mkm decreased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $800.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $815.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Oppenheimer lowered shares of Meta Platforms from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Wedbush raised their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $880.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $800.00 price objective (up from $770.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $847.98.

About Meta Platforms

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.