Vanguard Group Inc. Has $141.53 Billion Stock Holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 0.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 192,726,351 shares of the social networking company’s stock after acquiring an additional 135,250 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for about 2.1% of Vanguard Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 7.67% of Meta Platforms worth $141,534,378,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bare Financial Services Inc bought a new position in Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at $30,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at $42,000. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter valued at $44,000. WFA Asset Management Corp grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 42.6% during the 2nd quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 67 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Finally, Spurstone Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth about $59,000. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 172 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $639.18, for a total value of $109,938.96. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 17,965 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,482,868.70. This trade represents a 0.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 6,418 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Sunday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $639.77, for a total transaction of $4,106,043.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 73,346 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $46,924,570.42. This represents a 8.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 28,310 shares of company stock worth $18,159,577. Insiders own 13.61% of the company’s stock.

More Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta says it will deploy millions of Nvidia chips in its AI data centers this year, underpinning revenue upside for AI infrastructure partners and validating scale plans for Meta’s AI stack. Meta Platforms Just Gave Incredible News for Nebius Investors
• Positive Sentiment: High‑profile buying (Bill Ackman / Pershing Square) is being reported, adding conviction to the bulls and reducing perceived short‑term supply risk. That institutional demand is supporting upward momentum. Bill Ackman Bought Only 1 New Stock. Here’s Why the Billionaire is Bullish on Meta
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentators (Jim Cramer) say Meta may be building an enterprise/cloud angle — a strategic upside if realized but still speculative versus the company’s ad/AI thesis. Jim Cramer Believes Meta’s (META) Developing Its Own Cloud Business
• Neutral Sentiment: India’s Supreme Court will hear Meta/WhatsApp appeals over a CCI privacy penalty (₹213 crore); outcome uncertain but worth monitoring for regulatory/legal costs and reputational risk in a large market. Indian Supreme Court To Hear Meta, WhatsApp Pleas Against ₹213 Crore Penalty Over Privacy Policy
• Negative Sentiment: WSJ reports Meta is borrowing billions to fund its AI buildout despite strong free cash flow, highlighting that reported FCF can mask large noncash/compensation items and that management prefers debt to preserve liquidity. Meta Rakes It In, Yet Still Borrows Billions for AI
• Negative Sentiment: CNBC highlights a wider “AI bond binge” across hyperscalers (including Meta), meaning higher leverage and shifted risk to bondholders — investors should watch debt metrics and capex guidance for downside if AI monetization lags. How the AI debt binge shattered hyperscalers’ ‘unspoken contract’ with investors
• Negative Sentiment: Notable insider sales (CTO sale of ~8,089 shares; a director sale disclosure) add short‑term supply and raise questions about timing of personal liquidity events. Insider Selling: Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) CTO Sells 8,089 Shares of Stock

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on META. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Meta Platforms from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $860.00 price objective (up from $750.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Argus reissued a “buy” rating and set a $800.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Arete Research set a $718.00 target price on Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $844.29.

Meta Platforms Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $655.66 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $656.67 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $689.03. The company has a market cap of $1.66 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.90, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.60 and a quick ratio of 2.60. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a one year low of $479.80 and a one year high of $796.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.16 by $0.72. The company had revenue of $59.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $58.33 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 38.61% and a net margin of 30.08%.The firm’s revenue was up 23.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $8.02 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a $0.525 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.94%.

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc (NASDAQ: META), formerly Facebook, Inc, is a global technology company best known for building social networking services and immersive computing platforms. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Menlo Park, California, the company operates a family of consumer-facing products and services that connect users, creators and businesses. In October 2021 the company rebranded as Meta to reflect an expanded strategic focus on augmented and virtual reality technologies alongside its social media businesses.

Meta’s core consumer products include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and community building across mobile and desktop devices.