Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock: Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC Raises Stake

Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 35,431 shares of the social networking company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,387 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms accounts for approximately 1.3% of Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $25,694,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of META. Advantage Trust Co bought a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter worth approximately $32,000. Horizons Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the first quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on META shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $710.00 to $875.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $785.00 to $875.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th. CICC Research cut their target price on Meta Platforms from $773.00 to $700.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated 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. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their target price on Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $808.88.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ META traded down $27.39 during trading on Friday, reaching $709.33. 20,582,358 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 22,124,532. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $655.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $625.86. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52-week low of $520.26 and a 52-week high of $779.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.81 trillion, a PE ratio of 26.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 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 (NASDAQ:META) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS 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 the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%. The business’s revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $7.14 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The business 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. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is currently 7.91%.

Key Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America expects Meta to exceed third-quarter revenue expectations, forecasting $63.8 billion versus a $63.3 billion consensus estimate, and maintained a Buy rating with an $810 price target. Meta expected to beat revenue forecasts as AI boosts advertising, says Bank of America
• Positive Sentiment: Meta released the open-weight Muse Spark model for coding and AI-agent tasks, while its collaboration with Apple enables developers to run the model locally on high-end Mac computers. The developments could broaden adoption of Meta’s AI technology and reduce reliance on cloud infrastructure. Meta releases open-weight Muse Spark model
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan reaffirmed its Overweight rating and set a $920 price target, implying substantial upside, while other analysts including KeyCorp and Rosenblatt also maintained positive ratings. JPMorgan reaffirms Meta rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta is expected to report third-quarter results on October 21. Investors will focus on advertising growth, user metrics, profitability, capital expenditures, and management’s outlook for AI infrastructure spending. Meta Q3 earnings estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta withdrew $25 million from a previously announced $65 million effort to support political candidates considered favorable to the AI industry. The move may reduce near-term spending but signals a change in its political strategy. Meta Withdraws $25 Million from Its Midterms Push
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst-related pressure is weighing on the stock after Goldman Sachs lowered its expectations and Meta was reported down following an analyst downgrade, countering the more bullish JPMorgan view. Meta stock price down on analyst downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that AI infrastructure spending could reach approximately $205 billion in 2027. Heavy capital expenditures are reducing free cash flow, while potential legal charges and regulatory scrutiny add to earnings risk. Meta AI spending could hit $205 billion
• Negative Sentiment: Seven U.S. senators are questioning Meta’s claim of $6.6 billion in research tax credits for AI data centers, creating potential tax liability and reputational risk. Senators question Meta AI data-center tax credits

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In other news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total transaction of $21,359,386.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, 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 transaction, the insider owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. This trade represents a 17.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 149,797 shares of company stock worth $102,180,385. Insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

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.