Vantage Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 21.7% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 109,909 shares of the social networking company’s stock after purchasing an additional 19,567 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for about 4.8% of Vantage Investment Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Vantage Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $79,704,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of META. Horizons Wealth Management acquired a new position in Meta Platforms in the third quarter valued at $33,000. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the first quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC purchased a new position in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company’s stock.
Meta Platforms News Roundup
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
Meta Platforms Stock Up 2.4%
Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $621.03 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52-week low of $520.26 and a 52-week high of $779.82. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $672.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $632.16. The company has a market capitalization of $1.59 trillion, a P/E ratio of 21.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.28.
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.86. The business 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $7.25 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Meta Platforms Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were given a $0.5250 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, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is currently 7.16%.
Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms
In other Meta Platforms news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total transaction of $4,379,184.00. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $462,024. This represents a 90.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total value of $21,359,386.56. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 149,515 shares of company stock valued at $102,183,520. 13.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of brokerages have commented on META. BNP Paribas Exane cut their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $955.00 to $855.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. President Capital upgraded shares of Meta Platforms from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $660.00 to $897.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. Roth Capital reduced their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Tigress Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating and set a $945.00 target price (down from $995.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. Finally, Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $833.12.
Read Our Latest Report on META
Meta Platforms Profile
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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