Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Purchased by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,194,923 shares of the social networking company’s stock after acquiring an additional 41,762 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises approximately 2.2% of Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned about 0.20% of Meta Platforms worth $3,767,254,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bill Few Associates Inc. raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. now owns 1,206 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $874,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. raised its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 866 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $630,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. CWS Financial Advisors LLC now owns 985 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $564,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Tenzing Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Tenzing Financial LLC now owns 1,210 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $726,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Uptown Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the second quarter. Uptown Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,273 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $717,000 after buying an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total transaction of $2,002,514.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 6,271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,875,854.26. This represents a 34.07% decrease in their position. The transaction 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. Also, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total transaction of $4,379,184.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 828 shares in the company, valued at $462,024. The trade was a 90.46% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 151,090 shares of company stock worth $103,150,807. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of META stock traded up $5.07 on Friday, reaching $610.15. 15,673,971 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 23,359,418. The stock has a market cap of $1.56 trillion, a P/E ratio of 20.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $674.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $632.16. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year high of $779.82.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $64.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.34 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $7.25 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were issued 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 was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Moffett Nathanson cut their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $740.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Rosenblatt Securities restated a “buy” rating and set a $886.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on Meta Platforms from $930.00 to $950.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 25th. Daiwa Securities Group reduced their price target on Meta Platforms from $790.00 to $687.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $885.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $833.12.

About Meta Platforms

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.