Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Purchased by Whelan Financial

Whelan Financial grew its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 59.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,668 shares of the social networking company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,116 shares during the period. Meta Platforms comprises approximately 1.3% of Whelan Financial’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Whelan Financial’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $4,163,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in META. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 34,551 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $20,230,000 after acquiring an additional 570 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,456 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $5,537,000 after buying an additional 875 shares during the last quarter. Headwater Capital Co Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 294.7% in the first quarter. Headwater Capital Co Ltd now owns 150,000 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $86,454,000 after buying an additional 112,000 shares in the last quarter. Kooman & Associates boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 2.8% during the second quarter. Kooman & Associates now owns 544 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $402,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LeConte Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 48.9% during the 2nd quarter. LeConte Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,824 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,346,000 after acquiring an additional 599 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

NASDAQ:META opened at $673.07 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $645.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $696.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The stock has a market cap of $1.70 trillion, a PE ratio of 29.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.29. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $479.80 and a fifty-two week high of $796.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The social networking company reported $7.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.74 by $0.51. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 30.89% and a return on equity of 39.35%. The company had revenue of $51.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $49.34 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $6.03 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 26.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th were issued a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is currently 9.28%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $618.28, for a total value of $358,602.40. Following the sale, the director directly owned 5,587 shares in the company, valued at $3,454,330.36. The trade was a 9.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Jennifer Newstead sold 519 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $658.69, for a total transaction of $341,860.11. Following the transaction, the insider owned 28,658 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,876,738.02. This trade represents a 1.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 39,596 shares of company stock worth $24,277,237. 13.61% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on META. Monness Crespi & Hardt lowered their price objective on Meta Platforms from $860.00 to $808.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Redburn Partners set a $900.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Monday. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Raymond James Financial reduced 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 report on Monday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $720.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $822.00.

Key Stories Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta is preparing to test paid/premium subscription plans across Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp that would unlock exclusive AI features — a direct revenue‑diversification path beyond advertising. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Meta signed a multiyear commitment to buy up to $6 billion of fiber‑optic cable from Corning to support U.S. AI data‑center expansion — a sign of sustained capex for AI infrastructure that supports long‑term revenue growth (but implies higher near‑term spending). Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum has been strong: META logged a five‑day winning streak recently, contributing to a large market‑cap gain and signaling short‑term investor enthusiasm into earnings. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades arrived this week (e.g., Rothschild/Redburn moved to a stronger buy), supporting the stock ahead of results. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings and macro calendar: META reports Q4 after the bell, and traders expect a sizable post‑earnings move — that raises short‑term volatility risk but also creates buying opportunities for active investors. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Several firms trimmed price targets (into the $800–$835 range) while largely keeping buy/overweight ratings — a mixed signal: continued analyst conviction but more conservative upside assumptions reflecting capex and valuation risk. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Wall Street remains wary of rising AI capital and operating costs: analysts warn elevated AI spending and Reality Labs losses could pressure near‑term margins and guidance, which could weigh on the stock if management signals heavier 2026 expenses. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/legal risk: Meta is heading into a high‑profile trial over alleged youth addiction harms, a litigation and reputational overhang that could produce headlines and regulatory scrutiny. Read More.

Meta Platforms 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.