Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock: Lmcg Investments LLC Raises Stake

Lmcg Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 17.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 31,240 shares of the social networking company’s stock after buying an additional 4,719 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms accounts for approximately 1.2% of Lmcg Investments LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Lmcg Investments LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $22,655,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of META. Watchman Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Watchman Group Inc. now owns 5,091 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $2,913,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Penney Financial LLC grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. Penney Financial LLC now owns 399 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $228,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in Meta Platforms by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,519 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $869,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Bill Few Associates Inc. raised its position in Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. now owns 1,206 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $874,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Finally, Value Partners Investments Inc. raised its position in Meta Platforms by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 866 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $630,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Meta Platforms news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total transaction of $21,359,386.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 40,000 shares of the firm’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 owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at $131,515,624.16. The trade was a 17.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 148,440 shares of company stock valued at $101,456,300. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms Trading Down 1.9%

Shares of META opened at $630.56 on Tuesday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year high of $779.82. The company has a 50-day moving average of $664.68 and a 200 day moving average of $632.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.61 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.50, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.90.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 21st. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.86. The company had revenue of $64.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $63.34 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 31.15% and a return on equity of 30.73%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $7.25 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.86 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a dividend of $0.5250 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is currently 7.16%.

More Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta plans to invest heavily in AI infrastructure, proprietary models, personal “superintelligence,” AI assistants such as Muse, and smart glasses. Analysts say the spending could accelerate new product launches and create additional monetization opportunities. Meta’s $95 Billion AI Push Could Accelerate New Product Launches
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts remain bullish, citing Meta’s strong advertising business, user engagement, international revenue growth and relatively low valuation. The company recently reported quarterly revenue of $64.6 billion, up 26% year over year, while earnings exceeded expectations. Analysts Stand by Meta’s AI Push
• Positive Sentiment: Investors could eventually benefit if AI improves ad targeting, engagement and new product revenue. Some research argues that Meta’s core Family of Apps business remains attractively valued despite current AI and Reality Labs losses. Meta Platforms: Muse May Be Metaverse 2.0
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta announced approximately $35 billion of equity offerings and plans to raise as much as $95 billion overall, including up to $60 billion through an at-the-market program involving new nonvoting Class C shares. The proceeds are intended to fund AI infrastructure and long-term growth. Meta Announces $95 Billion Stock Offering
• Neutral Sentiment: The financing plan includes a new share class and a mandatory convertible preferred offering that could carry a 6%–6.5% dividend yield, changing Meta’s capital structure while limiting immediate cash funding needs. The New Meta Convertible Stock Offering
• Negative Sentiment: The planned stock issuance creates dilution risk and signals that Meta’s AI buildout will require substantial external capital. Investors are also concerned that aggressive spending could compress margins and weaken free cash flow before AI investments generate returns.
• Negative Sentiment: Meta’s elevated capital-expenditure outlook, combined with a reported $9.89 billion legal charge, has intensified concerns about near-term earnings quality, cash flow and execution risk. Meta Q3 Legal Charge and Capital Expenditures

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

META has been the subject of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $885.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on Meta Platforms from $840.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. China Renaissance reduced their price target on Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $700.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $820.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Pivotal Research raised their price target on Meta Platforms from $930.00 to $960.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.