Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock: Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Raises Holdings

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,283,132 shares of the social networking company’s stock after buying an additional 128,421 shares during the period. Meta Platforms makes up about 4.2% of Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich owned about 0.09% of Meta Platforms worth $1,661,845,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd increased its position in Meta Platforms by 18.6% during the second quarter. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd now owns 18,777 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $10,577,000 after purchasing an additional 2,939 shares during the last quarter. Madison Wealth Partners Inc boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 33.6% in the second quarter. Madison Wealth Partners Inc now owns 3,031 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,707,000 after buying an additional 763 shares during the period. William John Sempolinski bought a new stake in Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth $3,107,000. Sone Capital Management LLC increased its position in Meta Platforms by 38.2% during the 2nd quarter. Sone Capital Management LLC now owns 16,059 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $9,046,000 after purchasing an additional 4,440 shares during the period. Finally, Lakewood Capital Management LP increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 63.7% in the 2nd quarter. Lakewood Capital Management LP now owns 115,985 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $65,333,000 after buying an additional 45,130 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Meta Platforms Trading Up 0.8%

NASDAQ:META opened at $610.15 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.56 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.80, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.28. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $674.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $632.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a current ratio of 1.90. 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 quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 30.73% and a net margin of 31.15%. The business’s revenue was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $7.25 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.01 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were given 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 was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is presently 7.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on META shares. Monness Crespi & Hardt reissued a “buy” rating and set a $875.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Yorkville Ives started coverage on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $900.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $1,000.00 to $995.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Arete Research boosted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $735.00 to $806.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $750.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $833.12.

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta launched Spaces, a collaboration feature for its Muse AI agents, following the rollout of Muse Voice. The new offerings may help strengthen user engagement and expand Meta’s consumer AI ecosystem. Meta introduces Spaces
• Positive Sentiment: Recent earnings commentary points to AI supporting Meta’s advertising operations, reinforcing the potential for the company’s AI investments to generate revenue. Takeaways from recent earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta paused planned updates to its terms and is keeping existing rules in place. The move avoids an immediate policy change, though the underlying issues remain unresolved. Meta pauses planned terms updates
• Neutral Sentiment: Plans for new nonvoting Class C shares have been described as effectively creating a 2-for-1 split. A split changes the number of shares, but does not by itself change the company’s underlying value; the structure preserves Mark Zuckerberg’s voting control. Is Meta Platforms next for a stock split?
• Negative Sentiment: Meta and other platforms sued to block California restrictions on social-media features for users under 16. The case adds regulatory uncertainty and potential legal costs. Platforms sue over California teen social-media law
• Negative Sentiment: Meta warned that political backlash and possible limits on data-center construction could complicate its AI expansion. Its $15 billion senior-notes offering also highlights the scale of financing required for investment. Data-center expansion concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Reported ETF net selling and insider share sales may add short-term pressure, although the disclosed insider transaction was made under a pre-arranged trading plan. ETFs are net sellers of Meta Platforms

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Susan Li sold 9,196 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total value of $5,063,409.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 13,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,260,343.46. This represents a 41.09% 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 a total of 151,090 shares of company stock valued at $103,150,807 over the last 90 days. 13.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc is a global technology company that develops social networking, messaging, and digital communication products. Its services include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Threads, which connect people and help businesses reach audiences around the world.

The company also develops virtual and augmented reality products and technologies through its Reality Labs division, including Quest headsets and related software and services. Advertising is a central part of Meta’s business, with its platforms providing tools for businesses to promote products and services.

Founded in 2004 as Facebook by Mark Zuckerberg and fellow students, the company changed its name to Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect its broader focus on building social technologies and immersive digital experiences.