Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Has $68.62 Million Holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. trimmed its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 4.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 121,816 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 6,065 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $68,618,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in META. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. now owns 14,216 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $8,008,000 after buying an additional 264 shares during the last quarter. Quattro Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 19.0% during the 2nd quarter. Quattro Financial Advisors LLC now owns 16,585 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $9,342,000 after acquiring an additional 2,644 shares during the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 13,849 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $7,801,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. City National Bank of Florida MSD grew its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 47.7% in the second quarter. City National Bank of Florida MSD now owns 3,859 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $2,174,000 after purchasing an additional 1,246 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbour Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Harbour Capital Advisors LLC now owns 8,725 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $4,915,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts view META’s decline as excessive, arguing that one-time legal and severance costs have weighed on earnings and that future margin expansion, AI-powered advertising, and WhatsApp monetization could support substantial upside. Meta also remains among the major technology holdings disclosed by Appaloosa Management. Meta’s Dip Offers A 30% Upside Potential
• Neutral Sentiment: A federal child-safety trial has begun in California, with 29 states alleging that Meta designed Facebook and Instagram to encourage compulsive use among younger users, concealed health risks, and violated child-privacy and consumer-protection laws. The states are seeking potentially enormous damages—reported at roughly $200 billion in some filings and as much as $1.4 trillion in broader claims—as well as changes to the platforms. The outcome could establish a precedent for similar lawsuits and regulatory action across the industry. Meta faces 29-state trial that could reshape Instagram and Facebook
• Negative Sentiment: The trial is the immediate catalyst for investor selling because a loss could lead to major financial penalties, costly product changes, and restrictions on how Meta engages younger users—potentially affecting user engagement and advertising revenue. The risk is amplified by Meta’s recent loss of a nearly $1 billion New Mexico judgment and the prospect of additional lawsuits. Meta Stock Sinks as $200B Trial Threatens Facebook and Instagram Ad Revenue
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are also scrutinizing Meta’s AI spending. Large data-center investments are consuming cash, while debt and off-balance-sheet financing arrangements could create future obligations if AI assets underperform. Meta’s recent quarterly EPS miss and margin pressure add to concerns that the AI buildout may take time to generate returns. What Could Meta’s Off-Balance-Sheet AI Financing Mean for Investors?
• Negative Sentiment: Privacy concerns are spreading beyond regulators: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has barred employees from wearing Meta’s smart glasses at work, adding to reputational and adoption risks for the device business. ICE Bars Its Workers From Wearing Meta’s Smart Glasses on the Job

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on META shares. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Meta Platforms from $805.00 to $780.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. KeyCorp reduced their price objective on Meta Platforms from $790.00 to $780.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $810.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Monday, June 1st. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $800.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $780.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Meta Platforms has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $785.32.

Insider Activity

In other Meta Platforms news, COO Javier Olivan sold 3,348 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $600.97, for a total transaction of $2,012,047.56. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 9,498 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,708,013.06. This represents a 26.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 2,127 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Saturday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $689.85, for a total transaction of $1,467,310.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 15,347 shares in the company, valued at $10,587,127.95. This trade represents a 12.17% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 19,899 shares of company stock valued at $12,290,969 over the last 90 days. 13.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of META stock opened at $543.82 on Wednesday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $520.26 and a 1 year high of $790.80. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $594.80 and its 200-day moving average is $618.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.39 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.48, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last issued 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 net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The company had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $7.14 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio is 7.91%.

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.