Tempus Wealth Planning LLC Purchases 759 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Tempus Wealth Planning LLC lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 19.2% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,718 shares of the social networking company’s stock after acquiring an additional 759 shares during the quarter. Tempus Wealth Planning LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $3,421,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Advantage Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Horizons Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $728.10, for a total value of $688,782.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 6,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,047,189.20. This trade represents a 12.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 40,000 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Monday, September 21st. The stock was 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 directly owned 184,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $131,515,624.16. The trade was a 17.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 149,797 shares of company stock valued at $102,180,385. 13.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

NASDAQ:META opened at $736.72 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.23. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52-week low of $520.26 and a 52-week high of $779.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.88 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.19. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $653.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $625.27.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). The firm had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $7.14 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 27.76 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

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

More Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta released the open-weight Muse Spark Open model for coding and AI-agent tasks. The model can be downloaded and adapted by developers, broadening Meta’s reach in the AI ecosystem. Meta releases open-weight Muse Spark model for coding and agentic tasks
• Positive Sentiment: An Apple collaboration will enable developers to run Muse Spark Open locally on high-end Mac computers, potentially reducing reliance on cloud infrastructure and increasing model adoption. Apple and Meta team up to make Muse AI model run on Mac computers
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s Muse Wonder model scored 83.2% on an accounting AI benchmark, tying for second place and outperforming OpenAI and Google models in that test. Bank of America maintained a Buy rating and an $810 target, while Guggenheim raised its target to $850. Meta Is Back in the AI Race
• Positive Sentiment: Meta- and Google-backed Jio Platforms is preparing a major Indian IPO, which could provide visibility into the value of Meta’s strategic investment and partnership in the business. Meta- and Google-backed Jio Platforms IPO
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta has outperformed megacap peers and gained roughly 12% over the past month, increasing investor focus on whether the recent AI-driven rally can continue or whether some holders will take profits. Meta Just Climbed 12% in a Month
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned that Meta’s more than $130 billion AI investment program is reducing free cash flow, while Reality Labs continues to generate large losses. A roughly $10 billion legal charge and uncertainty around 2027 capital spending could add pressure ahead of the company’s expected October 21 earnings report. Meta: The Muse Rally Has Priced In the Good News Before Q3
• Negative Sentiment: Seven Democratic senators are seeking an explanation for Meta’s claimed $6.6 billion in research tax credits related to AI data centers, creating potential tax and policy risks for Meta and other large technology companies. Senators Want to Know Why Meta Claimed $6.6 Billion in Research Tax Credits
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs reduced its price target to $762 because of rising operating expenses, though it retained a Buy rating. A COO’s disclosed sales were made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and are therefore a limited signal of management sentiment.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on META shares. Evercore upped their price target on Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $860.00 in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $886.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday. Monness Crespi & Hardt raised their price target on Meta Platforms from $730.00 to $830.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 28th. Pivotal Research lifted their price target on Meta Platforms from $790.00 to $930.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $710.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-five have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $803.39.

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.