Whelan Financial Purchases 2,116 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Whelan Financial increased its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 59.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,668 shares of the social networking company’s stock after buying an additional 2,116 shares during the period. Meta Platforms comprises approximately 1.3% of Whelan Financial’s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest position. Whelan Financial’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $4,163,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors now owns 3,506 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $2,587,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 0.6% during the second quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 2,223 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,641,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co of the South grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Trust Co of the South now owns 1,850 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $1,359,000 after buying an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Sentinel Pension Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Sentinel Pension Advisors LLC now owns 915 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $672,000 after buying an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alpine Bank Wealth Management grew its position in Meta Platforms by 0.3% in the third quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management now owns 4,301 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $3,159,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In related news, insider Jennifer Newstead sold 519 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $658.69, for a total transaction of $341,860.11. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 28,658 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,876,738.02. The trade was a 1.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 517 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $608.35, for a total value of $314,516.95. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 10,649 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,478,319.15. This represents a 4.63% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 39,596 shares of company stock worth $24,277,237. Company insiders own 13.61% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of META opened at $673.07 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $645.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $696.04. The company has a market cap of $1.70 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a twelve month low of $479.80 and a twelve month high of $796.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The social networking company reported $7.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.74 by $0.51. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 39.35% and a net margin of 30.89%.The company had revenue of $51.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $49.34 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $6.03 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 26.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were issued a $0.525 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on META. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, October 30th. DA Davidson set a $825.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Roth Mkm lowered their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $845.00 to $800.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $915.00 to $830.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $900.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $822.00.

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta is preparing to test paid/premium subscription plans across Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp that would unlock exclusive AI features — a direct revenue?diversification path beyond advertising. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Meta signed a multiyear commitment to buy up to $6 billion of fiber?optic cable from Corning to support U.S. AI data?center expansion — a sign of sustained capex for AI infrastructure that supports long?term revenue growth (but implies higher near?term spending). Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum has been strong: META logged a five?day winning streak recently, contributing to a large market?cap gain and signaling short?term investor enthusiasm into earnings. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades arrived this week (e.g., Rothschild/Redburn moved to a stronger buy), supporting the stock ahead of results. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings and macro calendar: META reports Q4 after the bell, and traders expect a sizable post?earnings move — that raises short?term volatility risk but also creates buying opportunities for active investors. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several firms trimmed price targets (into the $800–$835 range) while largely keeping buy/overweight ratings — a mixed signal: continued analyst conviction but more conservative upside assumptions reflecting capex and valuation risk. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Wall Street remains wary of rising AI capital and operating costs: analysts warn elevated AI spending and Reality Labs losses could pressure near?term margins and guidance, which could weigh on the stock if management signals heavier 2026 expenses. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/legal risk: Meta is heading into a high?profile trial over alleged youth addiction harms, a litigation and reputational overhang that could produce headlines and regulatory scrutiny. Read More.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

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.