Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Sold by Douglas Lane & Associates LLC

Douglas Lane & Associates LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 3.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 100,099 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 3,398 shares during the period. Douglas Lane & Associates LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $72,590,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 18.6% during the second quarter. Fairtree Asset Management Pty Ltd now owns 18,777 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $10,577,000 after acquiring an additional 2,939 shares during the period. Madison Wealth Partners Inc grew its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 33.6% during the 2nd quarter. Madison Wealth Partners Inc now owns 3,031 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $1,707,000 after purchasing an additional 763 shares in the last quarter. William John Sempolinski bought a new stake in Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth $3,107,000. Sone Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 38.2% in the 2nd quarter. Sone Capital Management LLC now owns 16,059 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $9,046,000 after purchasing an additional 4,440 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lakewood Capital Management LP lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 63.7% in the 2nd quarter. Lakewood Capital Management LP now owns 115,985 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $65,333,000 after purchasing an additional 45,130 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In related news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $728.08, for a total transaction of $688,763.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 7,878 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,735,814.24. This trade represents a 10.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 148,222 shares of company stock worth $101,033,627. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on META shares. Raymond James Financial increased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $650.00 to $860.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 24th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $800.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $955.00 to $855.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Citizens Jmp upped their target price on Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $885.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $886.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Meta Platforms has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $791.86.

Meta Platforms Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of META stock opened at $718.67 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.83 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.07, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.19. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $640.98 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $620.09. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $520.26 and a 1 year high of $779.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 2.23 and a quick ratio of 2.23.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). The firm had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. Meta Platforms’s revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $7.14 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The firm 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 payout ratio is presently 7.91%.

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Advertising remains the core bullish argument. Meta’s revenue increased 28% year over year to $60.8 billion in fiscal second-quarter 2026, and micro-drama content is emerging as a potential source of incremental advertising demand. Why Meta is winning the micro drama wars
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive on Meta’s AI-driven growth. TD Cowen reaffirmed a Buy rating with an $865 price target, while Wells Fargo sees a path toward a substantially higher valuation if AI improves ad performance and creates new revenue streams. Meta Could Hit $1,000, Says Wells Fargo
• Positive Sentiment: Meta is expanding its AI ecosystem. The company’s Muse agent, enterprise AI platform and AI-enabled smart-glasses strategy could provide new commerce, productivity and hardware opportunities beyond traditional social-media advertising. Meta’s decision to ban ByteDance and TikTok advertising in several markets also intensifies its competitive positioning. Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s Decision to Pull the Trigger on Meta’s A.I. Agent
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta’s AI investment is producing both growth and financial strain. Revenue growth is strong, but free cash flow fell to $784 million from $8.55 billion a year earlier as data-center and AI infrastructure spending surged. Investors need evidence that Muse and other AI projects can eventually generate returns. Meta’s Sales Jumped 28% While Free Cash Flow Shrank
• Negative Sentiment: Muse faces adoption and monetization obstacles. Jefferies found that roughly one-third of tested websites blocked the agent, while Amazon reportedly blocked it, potentially delaying Meta’s plans to earn transaction fees from AI-powered commerce. Analysts also question whether the service can become profitable at scale. Meta’s Muse AI agent blocked by one-third of websites tested
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and reputational risks remain a drag. Florida is pursuing restrictions on teen access and infinite-scroll features, while criticism surrounding the film The Social Reckoning and Meta’s handling of harmful AI-generated content could increase scrutiny. A planned-transaction sale by COO Javier Olivan adds a modest insider-selling concern. Meta Stock Falls as Florida Asks a Court to Switch Off Infinite Scroll for Teens

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 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.