Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Purchased by Retirement Planning Group LLC

Retirement Planning Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 42.3% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 5,880 shares of the social networking company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,749 shares during the quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $4,264,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Meta Platforms by 4.0% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 92,033,963 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $51,841,811,000 after buying an additional 3,510,123 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 14.6% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,038,035 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $12,036,491,000 after acquiring an additional 2,673,494 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 12,836,063 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $7,230,426,000 after purchasing an additional 162,909 shares during the last quarter. Amundi increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 18.1% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 11,858,972 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $6,784,873,000 after purchasing an additional 1,815,017 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 10,429,812 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $5,964,745,000 after purchasing an additional 404,948 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, insider Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 184,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $131,515,624.16. This represents a 17.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $707.20, for a total value of $669,011.20. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 5,986 shares in the company, valued at $4,233,299.20. The trade was a 13.65% 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 sold 149,906 shares of company stock worth $102,347,409 in the last ninety days. 13.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Meta Platforms Stock Down 7.0%

Meta Platforms stock opened at $648.85 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $663.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $629.62. 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 stock has a market cap of $1.65 trillion, a P/E ratio of 24.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.19. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a twelve month low of $520.26 and a twelve month high of $779.82.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The social networking company reported $7.40 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.86. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 31.74% and a net margin of 31.15%. The company had revenue of $64.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $63.34 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $7.25 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.28 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a dividend of $0.5250 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.91%.

Meta Platforms News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta reported third-quarter revenue of $64.6 billion, up 26.1% year over year, while adjusted earnings of $7.40 per share exceeded analyst expectations. Advertising remained robust, supported by AI-driven engagement, higher ad prices and improved conversion rates. META’s Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Meta said its Muse AI assistant surpassed 10 million users shortly after launch, strengthening the long-term case for new advertising, consumer and enterprise revenue opportunities. Meta says Muse has over 10M users
• Positive Sentiment: Several firms raised their price targets and maintained bullish ratings, including Bank of America, JPMorgan, UBS, Citigroup, Mizuho and Pivotal Research, citing resilient advertising and improving AI prospects. Meta Stock Falls Despite Strong Q3 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta announced a 2-for-1 stock split and a new non-voting Class C share. The structure could help fund its AI buildout while preserving Mark Zuckerberg’s voting control, but it also raises concerns about future dilution and governance. Meta wants to pay for its AI buildout
• Negative Sentiment: Investors were alarmed by Meta’s capital-spending outlook of approximately $135 billion to $145 billion for 2026. Heavy data-center and AI investment pushed free cash flow negative, while credit-default-swap costs reached a record, intensifying concerns about debt or equity financing. Meta stock sinks as AI spend pushes free cash flow negative
• Negative Sentiment: A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion in a Cambridge Analytica-related privacy case. Meta plans to appeal, but the verdict adds substantial legal, regulatory and reputational risk. Meta ordered to pay $25 billion to New Mexico
• Negative Sentiment: Broader technology-market weakness, AI-investment concerns and escalating Middle East tensions added to the selling pressure, making it harder for Meta’s earnings beat to support the stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on META shares. Moffett Nathanson cut their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $740.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Yorkville Ives began coverage on Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $900.00 price target on the stock. Citizens Jmp restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $885.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday. Raymond James Financial raised their price objective on Meta Platforms from $650.00 to $860.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently 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.