Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Sold by StoneX Group Inc.

StoneX Group Inc. cut its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 22.5% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 8,635 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 2,502 shares during the period. StoneX Group Inc.’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $6,114,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp raised its stake in Meta Platforms by 4.0% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 92,033,963 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $51,841,811,000 after buying an additional 3,510,123 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position 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 worth $12,036,491,000 after purchasing an additional 2,673,494 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased 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 purchasing an additional 162,909 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 18.1% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 11,858,972 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $6,784,873,000 after buying an additional 1,815,017 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake 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. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $631.03, for a total transaction of $596,954.38. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 3,148 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,986,482.44. The trade was a 23.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed 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. Insiders sold 150,973 shares of company stock valued at $103,128,307 over the last quarter. Insiders own 13.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on META. Yorkville Ives began coverage on Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $900.00 price target for the company. Wedbush lifted their target price on Meta Platforms from $700.00 to $730.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Rosenblatt Securities restated a “buy” rating and set a $886.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. Citizens Jmp reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $885.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $1,000.00 to $995.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $833.12.

Meta Platforms Stock Down 0.8%

Meta Platforms stock opened at $623.61 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.59 trillion, a PE ratio of 21.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.28. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $679.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $631.88. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month high of $779.82.

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

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were given a $0.5250 dividend. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.16%.

Meta Platforms News Summary

These are some of the META news items that stood out recently:

• Positive Sentiment: ETFs bought about $99.7 million of Meta shares on Nov. 10, a sign of institutional fund demand. ETFs Bought $99.7 Million of Meta Platforms
• Neutral Sentiment: COO Javier Olivan reported stock sales under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Such planned sales are not necessarily a signal about the company’s outlook, but may still draw investor attention. SEC ownership filing
• Negative Sentiment: Regulators in the UK fined Meta over repeated inaccuracies in WhatsApp Business data, while a Brazilian electoral court also fined Facebook over alleged campaign-related content issues. These actions add regulatory and reputational risk. Meta Fined by UK Regulator

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.