Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Sold by Samalin Investment Counsel LLC

Samalin Investment Counsel LLC trimmed its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 25.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,215 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 1,088 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms accounts for approximately 0.9% of Samalin Investment Counsel LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Samalin Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $2,374,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.4% in the second quarter. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors now owns 3,506 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $2,587,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Pachira Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. Pachira Investments Inc. now owns 488 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $360,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 2,223 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $1,641,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. Myecfo LLC increased its holdings in Meta Platforms by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Myecfo LLC now owns 776 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $573,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Shelton Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Meta Platforms by 0.9% in the second quarter. Shelton Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,764 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,302,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 2,610 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Saturday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $609.46, for a total transaction of $1,590,690.60. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 9,784 shares in the company, valued at $5,962,956.64. This trade represents a 21.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 6,875 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Saturday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $609.46, for a total transaction of $4,190,037.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 88,370 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $53,857,980.20. This represents a 7.22% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 41,959 shares of company stock worth $26,906,323 over the last quarter. 13.61% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Meta Platforms Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $594.25 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.50 trillion, a PE ratio of 26.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $697.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $704.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $479.80 and a 12-month high of $796.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The social networking company reported $7.25 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.74 by $0.51. The firm had revenue of $51.24 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $49.34 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 30.89% and a return on equity of 39.35%. The firm’s revenue was up 26.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $6.03 EPS. Meta Platforms has set its Q4 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 22nd. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio is presently 9.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

META has been the subject of several analyst reports. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $825.00 target price (down previously from $900.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $950.00 to $910.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Rosenblatt Securities boosted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $1,086.00 to $1,117.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $610.00 to $710.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-seven have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $825.05.

Meta Platforms Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc engages in the development of products that enable people to connect and share with friends and family through mobile devices, personal computers, virtual reality headsets, and wearables worldwide. It operates in two segments, Family of Apps and Reality Labs. The Family of Apps segment offers Facebook, which enables people to share, discuss, discover, and connect with interests; Instagram, a community for sharing photos, videos, and private messages, as well as feed, stories, reels, video, live, and shops; Messenger, a messaging application for people to connect with friends, family, communities, and businesses across platforms and devices through text, audio, and video calls; and WhatsApp, a messaging application that is used by people and businesses to communicate and transact privately.