Sanders Capital LLC Sells 24,382 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Sanders Capital LLC lowered its holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 0.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,798,688 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 24,382 shares during the period. Meta Platforms makes up 7.7% of Sanders Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Sanders Capital LLC owned about 0.42% of Meta Platforms worth $7,830,993,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of META. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 92,033,963 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $51,841,811,000 after acquiring an additional 3,510,123 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in 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 valued at $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 grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Amundi grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 18.1% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 11,858,972 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $6,784,873,000 after acquiring an additional 1,815,017 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 10,429,812 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $5,964,745,000 after purchasing an additional 404,948 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $875.00 to $850.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Moffett Nathanson dropped their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $740.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $763.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $800.00 target price (down from $850.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Three investment 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $833.12.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total transaction of $4,379,184.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer owned 828 shares in the company, valued at $462,024. This represents a 90.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed 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, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 40,000 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total value of $28,510,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. This represents a 17.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 149,398 shares of company stock worth $102,134,435 in the last ninety days. 13.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s Muse AI assistant is expanding to Apple Watch and Android Wear OS, giving users another way to access its AI services and potentially broadening adoption. Article: Meta’s AI agent Muse lands on Apple Watch and Android Wear OS
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan named Meta one of its preferred internet stocks, citing AI-driven advertising and future monetization opportunities. The endorsement may help investor confidence after recent pressure on the shares. Article: JPMorgan Just Added Meta Platforms to Its Analyst Focus List
• Positive Sentiment: ETF purchases exceeded sales on Friday, with 63 funds buying Meta shares and a reported net inflow of $211.9 million—an indication of institutional demand. Article: ETFs Bought $211.9 Million of Meta Platforms
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest figures conflict: one report says short positions rose 165.6% to 75.5 million shares as of October 30, while a later entry reports zero shares as of November 10. The inconsistency makes the latest data unreliable as a directional signal.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors continue to weigh the cost and payoff of Meta’s AI investment. Recent coverage cites negative free cash flow and a large legal charge that weighed on reported earnings, despite strong advertising growth. Article: Meta Platforms Stock: Is it a Steal of a Deal at $650?
• Negative Sentiment: Meta is expanding AI-based age checks for Instagram teens as lawsuits over harm to young users continue. The move may address safety concerns, but the litigation and regulatory exposure remain risks. Article: Meta expands Instagram’s AI age-guessing tech globally

Meta Platforms Stock Up 0.0%

META opened at $641.39 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $1.64 trillion, a P/E ratio of 21.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a current ratio of 1.90. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $677.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $632.27. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a twelve month low of $520.26 and a twelve month high of $779.82.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.86. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 30.73% and a net margin of 31.15%. The company had revenue of $64.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $63.34 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $7.25 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.01 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were issued 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 of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.16%.

Meta Platforms Company 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.