Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Bought by LDIC Inc.

LDIC Inc. boosted its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 23.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 10,234 shares of the social networking company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,960 shares during the period. Meta Platforms makes up about 4.8% of LDIC Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. LDIC Inc.’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $7,421,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in META. Sanders Morris Harris LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms during the third quarter worth approximately $4,416,000. Adirondack Trust Co. boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. now owns 5,762 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $4,178,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.4% during the third quarter. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,584 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $2,599,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. N10 Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 25.9% during the 3rd quarter. N10 Wealth LLC now owns 19,904 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $14,434,000 after acquiring an additional 4,089 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nicollet Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Meta Platforms by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Nicollet Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,960 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $15,925,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $865.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Citic Securities cut their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $718.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Citizens Jmp lifted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $885.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, September 24th. New Street Research lowered their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $730.00 to $700.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $700.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $801.53.

Key Stories Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s new Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full AI models are strengthening its competitive position. Muse Wonder ranked second in a 57-model accounting benchmark, ahead of OpenAI and Google models, supporting the view that Meta is narrowing the gap with leading AI developers. Muse Wonder benchmark article
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America reiterated its Buy rating and $810 price target, while Guggenheim raised its target to $850 and Truist maintained a bullish $1,000 target. Analysts cited Meta’s large user base, AI distribution and potential future revenue from personal AI agents. Bank of America AI outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Meta expanded WhatsApp with free guest voice and video calling for non-account holders, potentially improving adoption and business utility by removing registration and download barriers. WhatsApp guest calling article
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street remains broadly constructive but divided. KeyCorp and Rosenblatt reaffirmed bullish ratings with targets of $900 and $886, respectively, while Goldman Sachs cut its target from $860 to $762 but retained a Buy rating. The differing views reflect uncertainty over AI monetization and investment requirements.
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs cited rising operating expenses, while other commentary warned that accelerated Meta Superintelligence Labs investment could pressure free cash flow and lead to valuation compression around the upcoming third-quarter earnings report.
• Negative Sentiment: COO Javier Olivan disclosed sales totaling 1,575 shares at an average $728.10. Both transactions were conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing their signaling value, but the sales still represent a notable reduction in his direct holdings.

Meta Platforms Trading Down 3.3%

Shares of META opened at $737.54 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.88 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $779.82. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $650.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $623.78.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%. The business had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $7.14 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders 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 7.91%.

Insider Activity

In other Meta Platforms news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total value of $21,359,386.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 9,196 shares of the 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 directly owned 13,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,260,343.46. The trade was a 41.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 149,797 shares of company stock valued at $102,180,385. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Meta Platforms Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company operates a global family of apps that includes Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, enabling users to connect, communicate, share content and discover communities.

Meta generates most of its business through digital advertising displayed across its platforms. Its products serve individuals, creators, businesses and organizations in markets around the world, while its advertising tools help businesses reach audiences based on factors such as interests, activity and demographics.

Through its Reality Labs division, Meta develops virtual and augmented reality hardware, software and services, including the Meta Quest line of headsets and related experiences.