Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock Acquired by Willis Investment Counsel

Willis Investment Counsel lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 20,497 shares of the social networking company’s stock after buying an additional 1,130 shares during the period. Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $14,864,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Advantage Trust Co purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Horizons Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of META opened at $642.62 on Friday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a twelve month low of $520.26 and a twelve month high of $779.82. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $664.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $629.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.64 trillion, a PE ratio of 21.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The social networking company reported $7.40 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.86. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 30.73% and a net margin of 31.15%. The company had revenue of $64.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $63.34 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $7.25 earnings per share. Meta Platforms’s quarterly revenue was up 26.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were given a $0.5250 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is currently 7.91%.

Key Stories Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q3 operating performance: Meta reported $64.6 billion in revenue, up 26% year over year, and adjusted earnings of $7.40 per share versus expectations of roughly $6.54. AI-driven recommendations and advertising tools are improving engagement, ad pricing and conversions. META Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Muse adoption supports the AI thesis: Meta’s Muse AI agent has surpassed 10 million downloads, strengthening the case that the company could eventually monetize AI through subscriptions, enterprise services and additional advertising. However, meaningful revenue contribution is expected later, potentially from 2027 onward. Meta Muse Adoption
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly constructive: UBS, Citigroup, Mizuho, JPMorgan, Bank of America and other firms raised or reaffirmed bullish ratings and price targets, citing resilient advertising growth and long-term AI potential. Some investors, including commentator Mike Khouw, view the selloff as a buying opportunity. Why Mike Khouw Is Buying Meta
• Neutral Sentiment: New Class C shares and a 2-for-1 split: Meta plans to issue one non-voting Class C share for each Class A and Class B share. The move should improve trading liquidity and give Mark Zuckerberg greater flexibility to sell shares or finance AI investment without surrendering voting control, but it does not by itself create economic value for shareholders. Meta’s New Non-Voting Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: Commercial terms delayed: Meta postponed controversial terms that publishers and advertisers said could authorize broader web scraping, moving implementation to November 20 from October 30. The delay may reduce near-term friction, though the underlying regulatory and customer concerns remain. Meta Delays Commercial Terms
• Negative Sentiment: AI spending is the main pressure: Meta lifted the lower end of its 2026 capital-expenditure forecast to $135 billion, with spending potentially reaching $145 billion. Free cash flow turned negative as infrastructure investment accelerated, while credit-default-swap costs reached records. Investors are questioning when Muse and other AI projects will generate returns. Meta AI Spending and Free Cash Flow
• Negative Sentiment: Legal and regulatory risks remain significant: Meta faces a $25 billion New Mexico privacy judgment, additional lawsuits alleging harm to children and scam advertising, and rising legal costs. The company plans to appeal the New Mexico ruling, but the liabilities add uncertainty and pressure margins. Meta New Mexico Privacy Judgment

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 40,000 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 17.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through 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 dated Monday, October 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $707.20, for a total transaction of $669,011.20. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 5,986 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,233,299.20. The trade was a 13.65% 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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 149,906 shares of company stock valued at $102,347,409. Insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

META has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Meta Platforms from $1,000.00 to $995.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Moffett Nathanson decreased their price target on Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $740.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Daiwa Securities Group lowered their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $790.00 to $687.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised shares of Meta Platforms from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $833.12.

Meta Platforms Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company’s principal platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Threads, which enable users to connect, communicate, share content, and discover products and services.

Meta also operates Reality Labs, its division focused on virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies. Reality Labs develops products such as Meta Quest virtual reality headsets and related software and experiences, along with research and hardware intended to support immersive computing.