978 Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Sold by VCI Wealth Management LLC

VCI Wealth Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 8.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,584 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 978 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises 1.8% of VCI Wealth Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest holding. VCI Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $7,675,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 18.6% in the second quarter. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd now owns 18,777 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $10,577,000 after purchasing an additional 2,939 shares during the last quarter. Madison Wealth Partners Inc increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 33.6% during the second quarter. Madison Wealth Partners Inc now owns 3,031 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $1,707,000 after purchasing an additional 763 shares in the last quarter. William John Sempolinski purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter valued at $3,107,000. Sone Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 38.2% during the 2nd quarter. Sone Capital Management LLC now owns 16,059 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $9,046,000 after purchasing an additional 4,440 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lakewood Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 63.7% during the 2nd quarter. Lakewood Capital Management LP now owns 115,985 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $65,333,000 after purchasing an additional 45,130 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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: 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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on META shares. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. UBS Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $920.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Meta Platforms from $775.00 to $820.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 19th. Truist Financial increased their price target on Meta Platforms from $763.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Meta Platforms from $580.00 to $685.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $833.12.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $614.15, for a total value of $580,985.90. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders sold 151,090 shares of company stock worth $103,150,807. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Meta Platforms Trading Up 0.8%

NASDAQ:META opened at $610.15 on Friday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month high of $779.82. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $674.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $632.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The company has a market capitalization of $1.56 trillion, a P/E ratio of 20.80, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.28.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.86. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 31.15% and a return on equity of 30.73%. The firm had revenue of $64.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.34 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $7.25 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 26.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is presently 7.16%.

About Meta Platforms

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.