Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock Bought by Pinnacle Associates Ltd.

Pinnacle Associates Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 10.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 224,133 shares of the social networking company’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,297 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for about 1.8% of Pinnacle Associates Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Pinnacle Associates Ltd.’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $162,537,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of META. Horizons Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Advantage Trust Co purchased a new position in Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at $32,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms during the first quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at $36,000. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

META stock 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 firm has a market cap of $1.64 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.91, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.19. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $664.40 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $629.72. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.86. The firm had revenue of $64.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.34 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 31.15% and a return on equity of 30.73%. The business’s revenue was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $7.25 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a $0.5250 dividend. 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 currently 7.91%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

META has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. CICC Research reduced their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $773.00 to $700.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $895.00 to $905.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $780.00 to $880.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $700.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Citic Securities reduced their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $718.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Three investment 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $833.12.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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 related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $707.20, for a total transaction of $669,011.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 5,986 shares in the company, valued at $4,233,299.20. This trade represents a 13.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the insider directly owned 184,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. This trade represents 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. Insiders sold 149,906 shares of company stock worth $102,347,409 in the last 90 days. 13.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Meta Platforms Company 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.