Harold Davidson & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 52.7% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 5,768 shares of the social networking company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,990 shares during the period. Meta Platforms comprises about 1.9% of Harold Davidson & Associates Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Harold Davidson & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $4,236,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors raised its holdings in Meta Platforms by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors now owns 3,506 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $2,587,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares during the period. Trust Co of the South grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 0.8% during the third quarter. Trust Co of the South now owns 1,850 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,359,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. Sentinel Pension Advisors LLC increased its position in Meta Platforms by 1.6% in the third quarter. Sentinel Pension Advisors LLC now owns 915 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $672,000 after buying an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.3% in the third quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management now owns 4,301 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $3,159,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 3.2% in the third quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 454 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $334,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.
Meta Platforms Stock Performance
META opened at $653.69 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 2.60 and a current ratio of 2.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.65 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.82, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a fifty day moving average of $656.19 and a 200 day moving average of $687.00. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $479.80 and a fifty-two week high of $796.25.
Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.94%.
Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms
In related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 926 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $652.68, for a total value of $604,381.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 17,039 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,121,014.52. This trade represents a 5.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 18,789 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $650.00, for a total transaction of $12,212,850.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 68,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,777,200. The trade was a 21.43% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 48,135 shares of company stock worth $31,063,415. 13.61% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Meta Platforms News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Big AMD AI deal validates Meta’s AI roadmap and diversifies suppliers — Meta agreed to deploy up to ~6 gigawatts of AMD Instinct GPUs (a multi‑year, multi‑billion-dollar commitment and potential equity stake), a major catalyst for confidence in Meta’s AI infrastructure strategy. AMD clinches second mega chip supply deal, this time with Meta
- Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell meaningfully in February (down ~16.5%), reducing one source of downward pressure and making squeezes less likely to amplify sell-offs in the near term.
- Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street reaction is mixed but constructive — some banks (e.g., BofA) see long‑term earnings upside from the AMD tie‑up despite higher capex, while others remain cautious about elevated investment intensity. Meta-AMD AI deal boosts scale but extends high capex cycle, analysts say
- Neutral Sentiment: Policy and operational items could affect costs or timelines — the White House plans talks with Big Tech on data‑center power costs (potentially easing power concerns), and Meta will appear at the Morgan Stanley TMT conference (CFO Susan Li on March 4). White House to host Big Tech in pledge to rein in power costs Meta to Participate in the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference
- Neutral Sentiment: Product/monetization runway: reports that Meta is preparing a stablecoin/payments push in H2 2026 are a longer‑term monetization positive but carry regulatory and execution risk. Meta Hopes to Launch Stablecoin Payments Project This Year
- Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — CFO Susan Li disclosed a large sale (18,789 shares, ~21% reduction at the time) and COO Javier Olivan sold shares recently; such high‑value insider sales can prompt investor concern about executive conviction even if they are often for diversification or taxes. SEC filing: Susan J. Li sale SEC filing: Javier Olivan sale
- Negative Sentiment: High‑profile investor exit — reports that billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller eliminated his fund’s Meta position may weigh on sentiment and be interpreted as a vote of caution by some institutional players. Billionaire Investor Stanley Druckenmiller Eliminated His Fund’s Position in Meta Platforms
- Negative Sentiment: Legal/reputational risk from ongoing litigation — court filings about encryption and child‑safety concerns could prompt regulatory scrutiny and headline risk. Meta executive warned Facebook Messenger encryption plan was ‘so irresponsible’
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. KeyCorp cut their price objective on Meta Platforms from $875.00 to $835.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Meta Platforms from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Citigroup reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $844.44.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Meta Platforms
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.
See Also
- Five stocks we like better than Meta Platforms
- REVEALED: Something Big Happening Behind White House Doors
- MAJOR BUY ALERT: Mar-a-Lago/Trump/Elon
- ALERT: Drop these 5 stocks before the market opens tomorrow!
- Elon Musk: This Could Turn $100 into $100,000
- Read this or regret it forever
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding META? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report).
Receive News & Ratings for Meta Platforms Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Meta Platforms and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
