Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Holdings Increased by North Dakota State Investment Board

North Dakota State Investment Board grew its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 3.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 67,325 shares of the social networking company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,395 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises approximately 1.9% of North Dakota State Investment Board’s holdings, making the stock its 10th largest holding. North Dakota State Investment Board’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $48,823,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.0% in the first quarter. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,519 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $869,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Bill Few Associates Inc. grew its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. now owns 1,206 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $874,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Value Partners Investments Inc. grew its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 866 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $630,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. CWS Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC now owns 985 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $564,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the period. Finally, Tenzing Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Tenzing Financial LLC now owns 1,210 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $726,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s bond sale attracted orders reportedly reaching $58 billion, a sign of robust investor appetite for the company’s debt. That demand may have helped support the stock despite concerns about Big Tech’s AI spending. Article: Meta stock rises as $20B bond sale attracts strong investor demand
• Positive Sentiment: Meta completed a $15 billion, five-part U.S. bond sale. The successful issuance gives the company capital to support its investment plans, while recent earnings-call coverage highlighted ad growth and adoption of its Muse AI tools. Article: Meta raises $15 billion in five-part US bond sale Article: META Q3 Earnings Call Put Spotlight on Muse Growth and AI Spending
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta and Snap settled claims related to alleged harm to young users from social media; financial terms were not disclosed. The settlements avert the scheduled trial, but do not resolve broader scrutiny of platform design. Article: Snap Settled a Social Media Addiction Suit
• Negative Sentiment: The bond financing underscores the cost of Meta’s AI ambitions. Reports indicate borrowing costs rose, while the company is ramping up spending on data centers and AI models—raising questions about returns and pressure on future cash flow. Article: Apple Shares Slip, Meta Debt Costs Rise Article: Meta seeks to raise up to $25 billion in debt sale as AI spending jumps
• Negative Sentiment: Meta postponed new business terms after backlash over potential web scraping, and reports of its AI crawler overwhelming a small business website add to reputational and policy risks. Article: Meta delays new business terms after outcry over potential web scraping of news sites

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $640.00, for a total transaction of $605,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 5,040 shares in the company, valued at $3,225,600. This represents a 15.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 149,515 shares of company stock valued at $102,183,520. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Meta Platforms Stock Up 2.4%

Shares of META stock opened at $621.03 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $672.41 and a 200-day moving average of $632.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $779.82. The company has a market capitalization of $1.59 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.28.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.86. The business had revenue of $64.60 billion for 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%. Meta Platforms’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $7.25 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a $0.5250 dividend. 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%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on META shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $820.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $810.00 to $845.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Benchmark reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $700.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, HSBC reduced their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $905.00 to $830.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $833.12.

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company’s principal platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Threads, which enable users to connect, communicate, share content, and discover products and services.

Meta also operates Reality Labs, its division focused on virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies. Reality Labs develops products such as Meta Quest virtual reality headsets and related software and experiences, along with research and hardware intended to support immersive computing.