Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stake Increased by Kaufman Rossin Wealth LLC

Kaufman Rossin Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 160.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,308 shares of the social networking company’s stock after purchasing an additional 806 shares during the quarter. Kaufman Rossin Wealth LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $948,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of META. Advantage Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Horizons Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

META has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. DZ Bank restated a “buy” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $785.00 to $875.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 25th. Arete Research upped their target price on Meta Platforms from $735.00 to $806.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Meta Platforms from $775.00 to $820.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $920.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $811.24.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

NASDAQ META opened at $697.52 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $662.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $629.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.78 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $520.26 and a 1 year high of $779.82.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.86. The firm had revenue of $64.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $63.34 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $7.25 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.32 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a dividend of $0.5250 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is 7.91%.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In related news, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total value of $28,510,400.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 184,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $131,515,624.16. This trade represents a 17.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total value of $21,359,386.56. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 149,906 shares of company stock worth $102,347,409 in the last three months. Insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Revenue and earnings exceeded expectations. Meta reported record quarterly revenue of approximately $64.6 billion, up 26% year over year and above the roughly $63.3 billion consensus estimate. Earnings of $7.40 per share also surpassed analyst expectations near $6.54. The results highlighted continued strength in advertising volume, pricing and monetization. Meta Platforms Tops Q3 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Muse is gaining meaningful traction. Meta said its AI assistant Muse has more than 10 million users, with shopping among the leading activities. Investors see the product as a potential way to increase engagement, improve recommendations and generate additional advertising and commerce revenue across Meta’s roughly 3.5 billion-user ecosystem. Meta Says Muse Has Over 10M Users
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts view the core business and AI returns favorably. Commentary following the report cited strong ad efficiency, higher engagement and healthy adjusted operating margins, supporting bullish views that Meta’s AI investments are beginning to contribute to the advertising business. Meta Q3 Strong Growth Makes This a Strong Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta is expanding AI funding while trying to manage cash pressure. Third-quarter capital expenditures reached about $34.9 billion, and the company raised the low end of its annual spending outlook. A new nonvoting Class C share is intended to help fund the AI buildout without reducing Mark Zuckerberg’s voting control, but it introduces potential dilution and reinforces concerns about heavy future investment. Meta to Issue New Class of Shares
• Negative Sentiment: Legal liabilities remain a major overhang. A $9.9 billion charge tied to a teen social-media lawsuit weighed on reported profit, while a New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay $25 billion in a separate privacy case. Meta plans to appeal, but the judgment increases regulatory, financial and reputational risks. Meta Ordered to Pay $25 Billion to New Mexico
• Negative Sentiment: AI profitability is not yet established. Zuckerberg said Muse carries very high computing costs, and Reality Labs could lose approximately $15 billion next year. These losses may limit free cash flow and keep investors sensitive to whether AI growth ultimately produces returns exceeding the cost of the buildout. Meta CEO Says Muse and Reality Labs Are Unprofitable
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling added a modest cautionary signal. COO Javier Olivan sold shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Because the transactions were scheduled in advance, they are not necessarily a judgment on Meta’s outlook, but they reduce his direct ownership. SEC Insider Ownership Filing

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.