Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stake Raised by Welch Group LLC

Welch Group LLC raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 21,054 shares of the social networking company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,459 shares during the period. Welch Group LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $15,268,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Meta Platforms Stock Up 0.8%

NASDAQ META traded up $5.07 on Friday, reaching $610.15. 15,673,971 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 23,359,418. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $520.26 and a 12 month high of $779.82. The company has a market cap of $1.56 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.80, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $674.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $632.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a current ratio of 1.90.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.86. The firm had revenue of $64.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.34 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 30.73% and a net margin of 31.15%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $7.25 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast 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 given a dividend of $0.5250 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.16%.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Meta Platforms news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $614.15, for a total value of $580,985.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 4,094 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,514,330.10. This trade represents a 18.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 151,090 shares of company stock valued at $103,150,807 over the last three months. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

META has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citizens Jmp reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $885.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Citic Securities reduced their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $718.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 3rd. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $865.00 to $850.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Roth Capital lowered their price objective on Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Pivotal Research lifted their target price on Meta Platforms from $930.00 to $960.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $833.12.

Meta Platforms 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.