Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock: IPG Investment Advisors LLC Raises Stake

IPG Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 21.0% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 20,502 shares of the social networking company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,558 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises about 2.1% of IPG Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest position. IPG Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $14,868,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ARGA Investment Management LP bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $47,881,000. Garner Asset Management Corp raised its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp now owns 1,411 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,023,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Challenger Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter. Challenger Wealth Management now owns 711 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $515,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Tucker Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 12.8% during the 3rd quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC now owns 404 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $293,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Finally, Garde Capital Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Garde Capital Inc. now owns 14,861 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $10,777,000 after buying an additional 544 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting 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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on META shares. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $850.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Yorkville Ives initiated coverage on Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $900.00 price objective for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $800.00 target price (down from $850.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. CICC Research dropped their target price on Meta Platforms from $773.00 to $700.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $833.12.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the firm’s 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 owned 4,094 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,514,330.10. This trade represents a 18.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 149,398 shares of company stock valued at $102,134,435 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 13.42% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of Meta Platforms stock opened at $610.15 on Monday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year high of $779.82. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $674.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $632.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.56 trillion, a PE ratio of 20.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.28.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.86. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 30.73% and a net margin of 31.15%. The firm had revenue of $64.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.34 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $7.25 EPS. Meta Platforms’s revenue was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

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

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.