Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Position Lessened by Triumph Capital Management

Triumph Capital Management trimmed its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 30.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,031 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 1,736 shares during the quarter. Triumph Capital Management’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $2,926,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of META. Horizons Wealth Management bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth about $36,000. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s new Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full AI models are strengthening its competitive position. Muse Wonder ranked second in a 57-model accounting benchmark, ahead of OpenAI and Google models, supporting the view that Meta is narrowing the gap with leading AI developers. Muse Wonder benchmark article
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America reiterated its Buy rating and $810 price target, while Guggenheim raised its target to $850 and Truist maintained a bullish $1,000 target. Analysts cited Meta’s large user base, AI distribution and potential future revenue from personal AI agents. Bank of America AI outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Meta expanded WhatsApp with free guest voice and video calling for non-account holders, potentially improving adoption and business utility by removing registration and download barriers. WhatsApp guest calling article
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street remains broadly constructive but divided. KeyCorp and Rosenblatt reaffirmed bullish ratings with targets of $900 and $886, respectively, while Goldman Sachs cut its target from $860 to $762 but retained a Buy rating. The differing views reflect uncertainty over AI monetization and investment requirements.
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs cited rising operating expenses, while other commentary warned that accelerated Meta Superintelligence Labs investment could pressure free cash flow and lead to valuation compression around the upcoming third-quarter earnings report.
• Negative Sentiment: COO Javier Olivan disclosed sales totaling 1,575 shares at an average $728.10. Both transactions were conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing their signaling value, but the sales still represent a notable reduction in his direct holdings.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on META. Scotiabank reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $600.00 target price (down from $700.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $955.00 to $855.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Raymond James Financial increased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $650.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Phillip Securities upgraded shares of Meta Platforms from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $795.00 to $750.00 in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Benchmark restated a “hold” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $801.53.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total value of $21,359,386.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $728.10, for a total transaction of $688,782.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 6,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,047,189.20. This trade represents a 12.01% decrease in their position. 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 149,797 shares of company stock valued at $102,180,385 over the last three months. 13.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Meta Platforms Stock Down 3.3%

Shares of NASDAQ META opened at $737.54 on Thursday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $779.82. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $650.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $623.78. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market cap of $1.88 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.19.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). The company had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The company’s revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $7.14 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were given a dividend of $0.5250 per share. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.91%.

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 operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.

Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.

Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.