2,712 Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Sold by Greenleaf Trust

Greenleaf Trust lowered its holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 2.5% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 104,158 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 2,712 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises approximately 0.8% of Greenleaf Trust’s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Greenleaf Trust’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $75,533,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in META. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 92,033,963 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $51,841,811,000 after acquiring an additional 3,510,123 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 14.6% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,038,035 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $12,036,491,000 after acquiring an additional 2,673,494 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 12,836,063 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $7,230,426,000 after acquiring an additional 162,909 shares during the last quarter. Amundi increased its position in Meta Platforms by 18.1% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 11,858,972 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $6,784,873,000 after purchasing an additional 1,815,017 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.0% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 10,429,812 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $5,964,745,000 after buying an additional 404,948 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

META has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. New Street Research lowered their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $730.00 to $700.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 31st. Citigroup increased their price target on Meta Platforms from $895.00 to $905.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $850.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Wedbush lifted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $700.00 to $730.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $763.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $833.12.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

NASDAQ:META opened at $610.15 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.56 trillion, a P/E ratio of 20.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.28. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a twelve month low of $520.26 and a twelve month high of $779.82. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $674.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $632.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.86. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 31.15% and a return on equity of 30.73%. The firm had revenue of $64.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $63.34 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $7.25 EPS. Meta Platforms’s quarterly revenue was up 26.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a $0.5250 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.16%.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total transaction of $28,510,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 184,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. The trade was a 17.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal 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 dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total transaction of $5,063,409.56. Following the completion of 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. 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. Insiders sold 151,090 shares of company stock worth $103,150,807 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Key Meta Platforms News

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

Meta Platforms Profile

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.