1,294 Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Acquired by S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC

S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 24,200 shares of the social networking company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,294 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises 4.1% of S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $17,549,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in META. Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 76,587.7% during the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 105,292,277 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $69,502,379,000 after purchasing an additional 105,154,977 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings 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 worth $51,841,811,000 after purchasing an additional 3,510,123 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Meta Platforms by 14.6% in 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 buying an additional 2,673,494 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 18,200,469 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $12,013,948,000 after buying an additional 1,046,715 shares during the period. Finally, 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 buying an additional 162,909 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider owned 184,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $131,515,624.16. This trade represents a 17.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Monday, September 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $750.42, for a total value of $709,897.32. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 8,824 shares in the company, valued at $6,621,706.08. This represents a 9.68% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 146,647 shares of company stock worth $99,886,901 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ META traded down $13.89 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $724.99. The company had a trading volume of 7,066,663 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,450,447. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market cap of $1.85 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $631.39 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $617.69. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year high of $779.82.

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

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a dividend of $0.5250 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is 7.91%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $820.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Citizens Jmp raised their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $885.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. Phillip Securities raised Meta Platforms from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $795.00 to $750.00 in a report on Monday, August 3rd. HSBC cut their target price on Meta Platforms from $905.00 to $830.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price target on Meta Platforms from $780.00 to $900.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-four have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $791.86.

More Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target on Meta to $1,000 from $796 and maintained an Overweight rating, citing investor enthusiasm for the Muse product cycle. The target is bullish, although the analyst reportedly expects a difficult period before that valuation becomes achievable. Why this analyst expects Meta stock to hit $1,000
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s Muse AI assistant is topping app-download charts, providing evidence of strong initial consumer interest and potential long-term opportunities in advertising, commerce and paid AI services. However, sustained daily usage and a profitable business model are not yet proven. Meta’s Muse assistant tops app charts
• Positive Sentiment: Meta and Sierra are developing the Personal Agent Protocol with Shopify, Stripe, Walmart and other partners. An open standard could help Meta establish Muse as a platform for AI-driven shopping and customer service. Meta and Sierra launch protocol for AI agents
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with 44 of 57 covering firms rating Meta a Buy and the consensus recommendation listed as “Moderate Buy.” Meta receives Moderate Buy consensus
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta is testing a Reels-first Facebook experience in India, potentially increasing video engagement and monetization, though the financial impact remains uncertain. Facebook tests Reels-first experience in India
• Negative Sentiment: New Mexico could seek a penalty of up to $40 billion in an ongoing case, creating a significant legal overhang ahead of an expected ruling this month. New Mexico seeks up to $40 billion from Meta
• Negative Sentiment: Higher interest rates above 5% can pressure richly valued technology stocks by raising discount rates and reducing investor appetite for long-duration growth stories. Meta’s recent run also increases the risk of profit-taking.

Meta Platforms Company 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.