Ashton Thomas Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 13.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 15,330 shares of the social networking company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,873 shares during the period. Meta Platforms makes up 1.9% of Ashton Thomas Securities LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $10,132,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Golden Road Advisors LLC grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Golden Road Advisors LLC now owns 976 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $644,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Counsel LLC lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1,420.3% during the 4th quarter. Capital Investment Counsel LLC now owns 9,958 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $6,573,000 after buying an additional 9,303 shares during the last quarter. Gibraltar Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 50.4% during the 4th quarter. Gibraltar Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,578 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $1,042,000 after buying an additional 529 shares during the last quarter. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter worth about $813,994,000. Finally, Manhattan West Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Manhattan West Asset Management LLC now owns 1,849 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $1,221,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms
Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
- Positive Sentiment: One bullish analysis argues Meta is attractively priced for a recession scenario, citing 33% year-over-year revenue growth, strong operating margins, and the potential for long-term margin expansion as AI investments drive efficiency. Why Meta Is My Top Pick: Priced For A Recession With Massive Upside
- Positive Sentiment: Meta is testing deeper AI integration in Threads, which could improve engagement and strengthen its product ecosystem over time. Threads tests a Meta AI integration that works similarly to Grok
- Positive Sentiment: Meta offered rival AI chatbots temporary free access to WhatsApp as part of talks with EU antitrust regulators, suggesting the company is actively trying to reduce regulatory friction in Europe. Meta offers rival AI chatbots free access to WhatsApp month
- Neutral Sentiment: Several articles discuss Meta’s role in the broader attention economy and compare its platform model with earlier media strategies, but these are not immediate stock catalysts. Ted Turner built the original infinite scroll
- Negative Sentiment: Santa Clara County filed a lawsuit accusing Meta of profiting from scam ads on Facebook and Instagram, adding to concerns about ad quality, moderation, and legal exposure. California county sues Meta over scam ads
- Negative Sentiment: Meta also lost a court fight in Europe over compensation for Italian publishers, reinforcing ongoing regulatory and content-rights risks. Meta loses court fight over compensation to Italian publishers
- Negative Sentiment: Fresh reports and lawsuits alleging scam ads targeting seniors, along with investigations into Meta’s board oversight and privacy/AI practices, could keep sentiment under pressure if they broaden. Meta Faces Fresh Controversy Over Facebook Scam Ads
Meta Platforms Stock Up 0.7%
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.67 by $3.77. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 36.93% and a net margin of 32.84%.The business had revenue of $56.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.56 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $6.43 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 33.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.65 earnings per share for the current year.
Meta Platforms Announces Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th were issued a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is presently 7.63%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of analysts have issued reports on META shares. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $900.00 price target on Meta Platforms in a report on Monday, January 26th. Citizens Jmp reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $900.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. DA Davidson lifted their price target on Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Meta Platforms from $805.00 to $780.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $800.00 price target (down from $880.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $840.31.
Read Our Latest Report on META
Insider Activity
In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 926 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $607.74, for a total value of $562,767.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 7,779 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,727,609.46. The trade was a 10.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $667.00, for a total value of $386,860.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 3,847 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,565,949. This represents a 13.10% 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. Insiders sold a total of 167,676 shares of company stock valued at $107,299,848 over the last three months. Company insiders own 13.61% of the company’s stock.
Meta Platforms Company Profile
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.
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