Trek Financial LLC Increases Stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Trek Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 8.9% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 15,115 shares of the social networking company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,233 shares during the period. Trek Financial LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $11,100,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors increased its position in Meta Platforms by 0.4% in the second quarter. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors now owns 3,506 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $2,587,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 2,223 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $1,641,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Vista Capital Partners Inc. raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Vista Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,075 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $794,000 after buying an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Trust Co of the South lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Trust Co of the South now owns 1,850 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,359,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sentinel Pension Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Sentinel Pension Advisors LLC now owns 915 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $672,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company guided to ~30% revenue growth for Q1 (its fastest growth guide since 2021), reinforcing confidence in ad recovery and AI-driven monetization. Meta Platforms Posted Its Fastest Growth Guide in Years—Now What?
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results widely characterized as a “grand slam”: revenue and EPS beat, strong ad margins and signs that AI is boosting impressions and engagement. That underpins buy-side enthusiasm. Meta Platforms: Pounding The Table After A ‘Grand Slam’ Quarter
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analysts raised price targets and reiterated bullish ratings (Cantor Fitzgerald, Argus, Barclays and others), lifting consensus targets and fueling conviction that upside remains. Cantor Fitzgerald Hikes Price Target on Meta Platforms
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and outlets highlight that Meta’s AI investments are already improving advertising efficiency and sales momentum — a core driver of near-term profit growth. Meta’s Ad Engine Powers Growth Despite Soaring Costs: Analyst
• Positive Sentiment: Macro/strategic narratives: Meta is being picked by some outlets as a top Magnificent Seven buy for 2026 on its scale, growth trajectory and AI positioning. Meta Emerges as Top Pick Among Magnificent Seven Stocks for 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Speculative upside stories are circulating (talk of $1,000+ targets), which can boost momentum but are not consensus. Could Meta Platforms Stock Hit $1,000 in 2026?
• Neutral Sentiment: Some firms maintained Hold/Neutral stances even while many raised targets — a reminder not all analysts are uniformly bullish. Needham Hold Rating Reiterated
• Negative Sentiment: Huge planned AI/datacenter capex (discussed across coverage) raises near-term free‑cash‑flow and execution risk; some investors worry the spending pace could pressure margins and returns. Meta Platforms’ $135 Billion Bet Makes Complete Sense
• Negative Sentiment: Legal and product risks: a patent lawsuit targeting Meta’s smart-glasses efforts and a trial in New Mexico add headline risk that could dent sentiment if judgments or injunctions occur. Patent Lawsuit Tests Meta Smart Glasses Meta on trial: Jury selection to begin in Santa Fe

Meta Platforms Price Performance

META opened at $706.41 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.78 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.06, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a current ratio of 2.60, a quick ratio of 2.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $479.80 and a 12-month high of $796.25. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $653.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $696.00.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.16 by $0.72. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 30.08% and a return on equity of 38.61%. The company had revenue of $59.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $58.33 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $8.02 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th were paid a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. 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 currently 8.94%.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In other news, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 726 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $591.60, for a total value of $429,501.60. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 6,035 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,570,306. This trade represents a 10.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $609.35, for a total value of $365,610.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 7,347 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,476,894.45. The trade was a 7.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 39,077 shares of company stock valued at $23,955,958 over the last quarter. 13.61% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on META shares. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $872.00 price objective (up from $830.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $850.00 price target (up previously from $800.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday. Raymond James Financial cut their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $800.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $685.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-one have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $848.50.

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc (NASDAQ: META), formerly Facebook, Inc, is a global technology company best known for building social networking services and immersive computing platforms. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Menlo Park, California, the company operates a family of consumer-facing products and services that connect users, creators and businesses. In October 2021 the company rebranded as Meta to reflect an expanded strategic focus on augmented and virtual reality technologies alongside its social media businesses.

Meta’s core consumer products include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and community building across mobile and desktop devices.