United Community Bank Sells 1,249 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

United Community Bank decreased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 27.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,343 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 1,249 shares during the period. Meta Platforms comprises approximately 0.8% of United Community Bank’s holdings, making the stock its 25th largest position. United Community Bank’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $2,207,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of META. Boyer Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter worth $227,000. KTF Investments LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter worth $21,316,000. Citizens National Bank Trust Department boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 7,167 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $4,731,000 after buying an additional 415 shares during the period. GPM Growth Investors Inc. boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 13.1% in the 4th quarter. GPM Growth Investors Inc. now owns 8,943 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $5,903,000 after buying an additional 1,035 shares during the period. Finally, Vivid Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 10.0% in the 4th quarter. Vivid Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,054 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $2,676,000 after buying an additional 367 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms Stock Down 1.2%

META opened at $609.63 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $627.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $645.30. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $520.26 and a 52 week high of $796.25. The company has a market capitalization of $1.54 trillion, a PE ratio of 22.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 2.35, a current ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.67 by $3.77. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 32.84% and a return on equity of 36.93%. The business had revenue of $56.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.56 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $6.43 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 33.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th were issued a dividend of $0.525 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, March 16th. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio is 7.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, COO Javier Olivan sold 2,778 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $629.45, for a total transaction of $1,748,612.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 10,557 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,645,103.65. This represents a 20.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed 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, CFO Susan J. Li sold 56,571 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $644.70, for a total transaction of $36,471,323.70. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 168,193 shares of company stock valued at $107,642,717 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 13.61% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts remain bullish on Meta Platforms, with recent notes from firms like BofA and Erste Group lifting earnings estimates or price targets after strong Q1 results, reinforcing expectations for meaningful upside. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s AI push is drawing attention as the company reportedly works on AI agents and improved models like Muse Spark, which could support new products and future monetization opportunities. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary pieces continue to frame Meta as an important AI and large-cap tech name, but these are mostly opinion-driven and do not add new fundamental information for the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta was also mentioned in a deal roundup about acquiring Assured Robot Intelligence, but the report provided little detail, so the market impact is unclear. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Reports highlighting employee dissatisfaction and impending layoffs suggest Meta’s AI transformation is creating internal friction, while also reminding investors that the company’s AI ambitions come with higher costs. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Investor concern remains centered on Meta’s enormous 2026 capex plan, estimated at $125 billion to $145 billion, which is fueling fears that profitability could come under pressure before AI investments pay off. Article Title

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $810.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Guggenheim dropped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $800.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Raymond James Financial dropped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $800.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $840.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $840.31.

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc (NASDAQ: META), formerly Facebook, Inc, is a global technology company best known for building social networking services and immersive computing platforms. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Menlo Park, California, the company operates a family of consumer-facing products and services that connect users, creators and businesses. In October 2021 the company rebranded as Meta to reflect an expanded strategic focus on augmented and virtual reality technologies alongside its social media businesses.

Meta’s core consumer products include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and community building across mobile and desktop devices.