Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Acquired by Motley Fool Asset Management LLC

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 60.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 140,420 shares of the social networking company’s stock after purchasing an additional 52,706 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for approximately 3.8% of Motley Fool Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $101,830,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. WPG Advisers LLC increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. WPG Advisers LLC now owns 1,786 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,295,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. North Dakota State Investment Board raised its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 3.7% in the third quarter. North Dakota State Investment Board now owns 67,325 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $48,823,000 after buying an additional 2,395 shares during the last quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the third quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 6,102 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $4,425,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. Heritage Wealth Management Inc. CA lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 3.1% during the third quarter. Heritage Wealth Management Inc. CA now owns 2,902 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $2,104,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, Maj Invest Holding A S lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 6.0% during the third quarter. Maj Invest Holding A S now owns 321,233 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $232,952,000 after buying an additional 18,302 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms Stock Up 2.4%

NASDAQ:META opened at $621.03 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.59 trillion, a P/E ratio of 21.17, a PEG 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. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $672.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $632.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.90.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.86. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 31.15% and a return on equity of 30.73%. The company had revenue of $64.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $63.34 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $7.25 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.01 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a dividend of $0.5250 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.16%.

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s bond sale attracted orders reportedly reaching $58 billion, a sign of robust investor appetite for the company’s debt. That demand may have helped support the stock despite concerns about Big Tech’s AI spending. Article: Meta stock rises as $20B bond sale attracts strong investor demand
• Positive Sentiment: Meta completed a $15 billion, five-part U.S. bond sale. The successful issuance gives the company capital to support its investment plans, while recent earnings-call coverage highlighted ad growth and adoption of its Muse AI tools. Article: Meta raises $15 billion in five-part US bond sale Article: META Q3 Earnings Call Put Spotlight on Muse Growth and AI Spending
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta and Snap settled claims related to alleged harm to young users from social media; financial terms were not disclosed. The settlements avert the scheduled trial, but do not resolve broader scrutiny of platform design. Article: Snap Settled a Social Media Addiction Suit
• Negative Sentiment: The bond financing underscores the cost of Meta’s AI ambitions. Reports indicate borrowing costs rose, while the company is ramping up spending on data centers and AI models—raising questions about returns and pressure on future cash flow. Article: Apple Shares Slip, Meta Debt Costs Rise Article: Meta seeks to raise up to $25 billion in debt sale as AI spending jumps
• Negative Sentiment: Meta postponed new business terms after backlash over potential web scraping, and reports of its AI crawler overwhelming a small business website add to reputational and policy risks. Article: Meta delays new business terms after outcry over potential web scraping of news sites

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total value of $4,379,184.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer owned 828 shares in the company, valued at $462,024. This represents a 90.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Susan Li sold 9,196 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total value of $5,063,409.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 13,186 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,260,343.46. This trade represents a 41.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 149,515 shares of company stock worth $102,183,520. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on META shares. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $955.00 to $855.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Raymond James Financial raised their target price on Meta Platforms from $650.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $750.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Wedbush boosted their price target on Meta Platforms from $700.00 to $730.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $840.00 to $860.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $833.12.

About Meta Platforms

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.