Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Sold by Investment Research Partners LLC

Investment Research Partners LLC decreased its holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 13.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,861 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 788 shares during the period. Meta Platforms comprises about 1.2% of Investment Research Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Investment Research Partners LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $3,525,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Meta Platforms by 4.0% in 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 in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in 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 buying an additional 2,673,494 shares during 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 stake in Meta Platforms by 18.1% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 11,858,972 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $6,784,873,000 after acquiring an additional 1,815,017 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 4.0% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 10,429,812 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $5,964,745,000 after acquiring an additional 404,948 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total value of $21,359,386.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares of the 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 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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 149,906 shares of company stock valued at $102,347,409. 13.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Meta Platforms Stock Down 7.0%

Meta Bounces Back in Q3, But the Bigger Test Comes in 2027

NASDAQ META opened at $648.85 on Friday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $520.26 and a 52 week high of $779.82. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market capitalization of $1.65 trillion, a P/E ratio of 24.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.19. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $663.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $629.62.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $64.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $63.34 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 31.74% and a net margin of 31.15%. The firm's revenue was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $7.25 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

Synchrony Aces The Quarter As Credit Fears Fade

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a dividend of $0.5250 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms's payout ratio is currently 7.91%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Benchmark reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $740.00 to $955.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, September 24th. President Capital raised shares of Meta Platforms from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $660.00 to $897.00 in a report on Thursday, September 24th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $710.00 to $875.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Finally, Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $850.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Meta Platforms currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $833.12.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on META

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

Positive Sentiment: Meta reported third-quarter revenue of $64.6 billion, up 26.1% year over year, while adjusted earnings of $7.40 per share exceeded analyst expectations. Advertising remained robust, supported by AI-driven engagement, higher ad prices and improved conversion rates. META's Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates
Positive Sentiment: Meta said its Muse AI assistant surpassed 10 million users shortly after launch, strengthening the long-term case for new advertising, consumer and enterprise revenue opportunities. Meta says Muse has over 10M users
Positive Sentiment: Several firms raised their price targets and maintained bullish ratings, including Bank of America, JPMorgan, UBS, Citigroup, Mizuho and Pivotal Research, citing resilient advertising and improving AI prospects. Meta Stock Falls Despite Strong Q3 Results
Neutral Sentiment: Meta announced a 2-for-1 stock split and a new non-voting Class C share. The structure could help fund its AI buildout while preserving Mark Zuckerberg’s voting control, but it also raises concerns about future dilution and governance. Meta wants to pay for its AI buildout
Negative Sentiment: Investors were alarmed by Meta’s capital-spending outlook of approximately $135 billion to $145 billion for 2026. Heavy data-center and AI investment pushed free cash flow negative, while credit-default-swap costs reached a record, intensifying concerns about debt or equity financing. Meta stock sinks as AI spend pushes free cash flow negative
Negative Sentiment: A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion in a Cambridge Analytica-related privacy case. Meta plans to appeal, but the verdict adds substantial legal, regulatory and reputational risk. Meta ordered to pay $25 billion to New Mexico
Negative Sentiment: Broader technology-market weakness, AI-investment concerns and escalating Middle East tensions added to the selling pressure, making it harder for Meta’s earnings beat to support the stock.

About Meta Platforms

(Free Report)

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.

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