Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Purchased by Weaver Capital Management LLC

Weaver Capital Management LLC raised its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 27.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 8,196 shares of the social networking company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,780 shares during the period. Meta Platforms makes up approximately 1.1% of Weaver Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Weaver Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $5,410,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in META. Westchester Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Meta Platforms in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Dorato Capital Management purchased a new position in Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter valued at about $62,000. PMV Capital Advisers LLC grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 26.3% during the 4th quarter. PMV Capital Advisers LLC now owns 96 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 64.8% during the 3rd quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 89 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Finally, eCIO Inc. acquired a new position in Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter worth $66,000. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on META. Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $685.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Meta Platforms from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and set a $820.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $810.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Wedbush upped their price target on Meta Platforms from $880.00 to $900.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $837.72.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 2,778 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $629.45, for a total value of $1,748,612.10. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 10,557 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,645,103.65. This trade represents a 20.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $632.02, for a total transaction of $366,571.60. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,427 shares in the company, valued at $2,797,952.54. This represents a 11.58% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 164,499 shares of company stock worth $105,237,895. Corporate insiders own 13.61% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms Trading Up 0.8%

Meta Platforms stock opened at $676.87 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 2.60 and a current ratio of 2.60. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $479.80 and a 1 year high of $796.25. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $626.94 and its 200-day moving average is $652.21. The company has a market cap of $1.71 trillion, a P/E ratio of 28.80, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.31.

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 business had revenue of $59.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $58.33 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $8.02 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th were issued a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.94%.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen reaffirmed a Buy on META and set an $820 price target, implying material upside versus current levels — a clear analyst endorsement that can support buying interest. Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) Receives Buy Rating from TD Cowen
• Positive Sentiment: Meta expanded its multi‑year AI chip partnership with Broadcom (initial commitment >1 GW of custom silicon capacity through 2029) — this lowers long‑term supply risk for Meta’s AI training/inference stack and supports margin/scale improvements for ad and AI services. Meta, Broadcom strike multi-year AI chip deal
• Positive Sentiment: CoreWeave announced a major expansion of its partnership with Meta and said Meta added roughly $21 billion in new commitments through 2032 — signals large, multi‑year capital spend backing Meta’s AI compute needs and ecosystem strength. CoreWeave’s April Shockwave — Meta, Anthropic, Jane Street All Say Yes
• Positive Sentiment: Sell‑side bulls remain active: Morgan Stanley named META a top tech pick with a $775 target and other analyst commentary highlights Meta’s fast‑improving ad performance driven by AI enhancements — supports upside expectations ahead of future quarters. Meta Stock Is the Top Pick for Tech Earnings, Morgan Stanley Says. Here’s Why.
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta said it will raise Quest VR headset prices in the U.S. from April 19 citing higher memory‑chip costs — product pricing may protect margins but could weigh on device demand. Meta to raise Quest VR headset prices in US on rising component costs
• Neutral Sentiment: COO Javier Olivan sold shares under a pre‑arranged Rule 10b5‑1 plan (disclosed SEC filing) — routine windowed selling reduces headlines risk versus opportunistic insider selling. SEC Insider Filing
• Negative Sentiment: EU regulators are preparing interim measures and have ordered Meta to reinstate prior WhatsApp access terms for rival AI services after Meta imposed an access fee — a direct risk to WhatsApp Business monetization plans in Europe and a regulatory headwind for AI distribution. EU warns Meta WhatsApp AI fee breaches antitrust rules, orders rollback
• Negative Sentiment: Additional EU coverage notes the Commission may force Meta to restore earlier WhatsApp terms for AI integrations — continued regulatory scrutiny raises uncertainty around how Meta can commercialize WhatsApp for AI partners. European Action On WhatsApp AI Access Tests Meta’s Monetization Plans

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.