Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock Position Lifted by October Effect Ltd

October Effect Ltd increased its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 13.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,506 shares of the social networking company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,384 shares during the period. Meta Platforms comprises about 9.3% of October Effect Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. October Effect Ltd’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $8,450,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Bare Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter worth $30,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth $42,000. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at about $44,000. WFA Asset Management Corp raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 42.6% during the second quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 67 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Spurstone Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth about $59,000. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on META shares. Rothschild Redb upgraded Meta Platforms from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $810.00 to $885.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Meta Platforms from $710.00 to $730.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $860.00 price target (up previously from $750.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $910.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-one have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $848.50.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

META opened at $706.41 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.60, a quick ratio of 2.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company has a market cap of $1.78 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.28. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $653.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $696.00. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $479.80 and a 12-month high of $796.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.16 by $0.72. The firm had revenue of $59.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $58.33 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 30.08% and a return on equity of 38.61%. The company’s revenue was up 23.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $8.02 EPS. Research analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were paid a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.94%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $609.35, for a total value of $365,610.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 7,347 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,476,894.45. The trade was a 7.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 2,610 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Saturday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $609.46, for a total value of $1,590,690.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 9,784 shares in the company, valued at $5,962,956.64. The trade was a 21.06% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 39,077 shares of company stock valued at $23,955,958. 13.61% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company guided to ~30% revenue growth for Q1 (its fastest growth guide since 2021), reinforcing confidence in ad recovery and AI-driven monetization. Meta Platforms Posted Its Fastest Growth Guide in Years—Now What?
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results widely characterized as a “grand slam”: revenue and EPS beat, strong ad margins and signs that AI is boosting impressions and engagement. That underpins buy-side enthusiasm. Meta Platforms: Pounding The Table After A ‘Grand Slam’ Quarter
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analysts raised price targets and reiterated bullish ratings (Cantor Fitzgerald, Argus, Barclays and others), lifting consensus targets and fueling conviction that upside remains. Cantor Fitzgerald Hikes Price Target on Meta Platforms
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and outlets highlight that Meta’s AI investments are already improving advertising efficiency and sales momentum — a core driver of near-term profit growth. Meta’s Ad Engine Powers Growth Despite Soaring Costs: Analyst
• Positive Sentiment: Macro/strategic narratives: Meta is being picked by some outlets as a top Magnificent Seven buy for 2026 on its scale, growth trajectory and AI positioning. Meta Emerges as Top Pick Among Magnificent Seven Stocks for 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Speculative upside stories are circulating (talk of $1,000+ targets), which can boost momentum but are not consensus. Could Meta Platforms Stock Hit $1,000 in 2026?
• Neutral Sentiment: Some firms maintained Hold/Neutral stances even while many raised targets — a reminder not all analysts are uniformly bullish. Needham Hold Rating Reiterated
• Negative Sentiment: Huge planned AI/datacenter capex (discussed across coverage) raises near-term free‑cash‑flow and execution risk; some investors worry the spending pace could pressure margins and returns. Meta Platforms’ $135 Billion Bet Makes Complete Sense
• Negative Sentiment: Legal and product risks: a patent lawsuit targeting Meta’s smart-glasses efforts and a trial in New Mexico add headline risk that could dent sentiment if judgments or injunctions occur. Patent Lawsuit Tests Meta Smart Glasses Meta on trial: Jury selection to begin in Santa Fe

About Meta Platforms

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.