Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co lowered its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 16.0% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 7,904 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 1,505 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms accounts for approximately 1.4% of Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $4,522,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ascentis Independent Advisors raised its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 57.4% in the 1st quarter. Ascentis Independent Advisors now owns 15,987 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $9,148,000 after purchasing an additional 5,827 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 8.4% during the first quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 101,151 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $58,100,000 after purchasing an additional 7,817 shares during the period. Seascape Capital Management increased its position in Meta Platforms by 1.7% during the first quarter. Seascape Capital Management now owns 6,326 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $3,619,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Berger Financial Group Inc increased its position in Meta Platforms by 126.9% during the first quarter. Berger Financial Group Inc now owns 13,563 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $7,760,000 after buying an additional 7,585 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Meta Platforms by 4.2% in the first quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,319 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $3,043,000 after buying an additional 212 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.
Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms
Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Meta’s latest AI push is drawing bullish attention, including the launch of Muse Spark 1.1, expanded developer access through its Model API, and reports that the company plans to start producing an in-house AI chip in September. Investors are betting these moves could lower compute costs, reduce reliance on Nvidia and AMD, and open new revenue streams beyond advertising. Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: Meta is also benefiting from optimism around its cloud and AI infrastructure ambitions, including a new C$13 billion data center in Alberta and commentary that the company may be building a stronger long-term “AI revenue stack” than the market currently prices in. Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: Several analysts and commentators are still constructive on META, with bullish notes saying the stock looks attractively valued relative to its AI growth potential and that recent weakness created an opportunity for long-term investors. Article Title
- Neutral Sentiment: Citizens JMP trimmed its price target to $800 from $825 while maintaining an outperform rating, suggesting continued upside but a slightly more cautious near-term view on valuation and spending. Article Title
- Negative Sentiment: Meta faces renewed regulatory risk after the European Union said Facebook and Instagram may violate the Digital Services Act with “addictive” design features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, and push notifications, potentially exposing the company to fines and product changes. Article Title
- Negative Sentiment: Separate reporting also highlighted investor concern that Meta’s aggressive AI capex could pressure margins if monetization takes longer than expected, even though the market is currently rewarding the strategy. Article Title
Meta Platforms Price Performance
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.67 by $3.77. The firm had revenue of $56.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.56 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 36.93% and a net margin of 32.84%.The company’s revenue was up 33.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $6.43 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Meta Platforms Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.63%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other Meta Platforms news, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $607.75, for a total value of $303,875.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 3,443 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,092,483.25. This trade represents a 12.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 3,348 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $600.97, for a total transaction of $2,012,047.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 9,498 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,708,013.06. The trade was a 26.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 44,748 shares of company stock worth $27,565,292 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Arete Research set a $735.00 price objective on Meta Platforms and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Raymond James Financial upgraded Meta Platforms from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their price target on Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $750.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $1,015.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Finally, Citizens Jmp dropped their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $800.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have issued a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $838.26.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Meta Platforms
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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