Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. Acquires 7,330 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 125,950 shares of the social networking company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,330 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises about 3.6% of Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 6th largest position. Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc.’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $91,336,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 92,033,963 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $51,841,811,000 after buying an additional 3,510,123 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 14.6% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,038,035 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $12,036,491,000 after buying an additional 2,673,494 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 12,836,063 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $7,230,426,000 after buying an additional 162,909 shares during the period. Amundi raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 18.1% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 11,858,972 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $6,784,873,000 after acquiring an additional 1,815,017 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.0% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 10,429,812 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $5,964,745,000 after acquiring an additional 404,948 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

META has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Daiwa Securities Group dropped their price target 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. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $700.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $800.00 price target (down from $850.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $710.00 to $875.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $833.12.

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta launched Spaces, a collaboration feature for its Muse AI agents, following the rollout of Muse Voice. The new offerings may help strengthen user engagement and expand Meta’s consumer AI ecosystem. Meta introduces Spaces
• Positive Sentiment: Recent earnings commentary points to AI supporting Meta’s advertising operations, reinforcing the potential for the company’s AI investments to generate revenue. Takeaways from recent earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta paused planned updates to its terms and is keeping existing rules in place. The move avoids an immediate policy change, though the underlying issues remain unresolved. Meta pauses planned terms updates
• Neutral Sentiment: Plans for new nonvoting Class C shares have been described as effectively creating a 2-for-1 split. A split changes the number of shares, but does not by itself change the company’s underlying value; the structure preserves Mark Zuckerberg’s voting control. Is Meta Platforms next for a stock split?
• Negative Sentiment: Meta and other platforms sued to block California restrictions on social-media features for users under 16. The case adds regulatory uncertainty and potential legal costs. Platforms sue over California teen social-media law
• Negative Sentiment: Meta warned that political backlash and possible limits on data-center construction could complicate its AI expansion. Its $15 billion senior-notes offering also highlights the scale of financing required for investment. Data-center expansion concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Reported ETF net selling and insider share sales may add short-term pressure, although the disclosed insider transaction was made under a pre-arranged trading plan. ETFs are net sellers of Meta Platforms

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $614.15, for a total transaction of $580,985.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 4,094 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,514,330.10. The trade was a 18.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 151,090 shares of company stock valued at $103,150,807. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of META traded up $5.07 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $610.15. The stock had a trading volume of 15,673,971 shares, compared to its average volume of 23,359,418. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.90. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $674.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $632.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.56 trillion, a P/E ratio of 20.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.28. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year high of $779.82.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.86. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 30.73% and a net margin of 31.15%. The business had revenue of $64.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.34 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $7.25 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.16%.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc is a global technology company that develops social networking, messaging, and digital communication products. Its services include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Threads, which connect people and help businesses reach audiences around the world.

The company also develops virtual and augmented reality products and technologies through its Reality Labs division, including Quest headsets and related software and services. Advertising is a central part of Meta’s business, with its platforms providing tools for businesses to promote products and services.

Founded in 2004 as Facebook by Mark Zuckerberg and fellow students, the company changed its name to Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect its broader focus on building social technologies and immersive digital experiences.