Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Sold by Waldron Private Wealth LLC

Waldron Private Wealth LLC lessened its holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,601 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 930 shares during the quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $10,298,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Westchester Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Meta Platforms during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Bare Financial Services Inc acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter valued at about $44,000. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 64.8% during the 3rd quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 89 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PMV Capital Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 26.3% in the 4th quarter. PMV Capital Advisers LLC now owns 96 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $63,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Meta Platforms Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of META opened at $579.23 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $1.47 trillion, a P/E ratio of 24.65, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.31. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $479.80 and a 12 month high of $796.25. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $640.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $662.64. The company has a current ratio of 2.60, a quick ratio of 2.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.16 by $0.72. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 38.61% and a net margin of 30.08%.The firm had revenue of $59.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $58.33 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $8.02 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 23.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th were issued a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.94%.

Meta Platforms News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: China’s commerce ministry said it supports law‑abiding transnational technology deals, which reduces near‑term risk that Beijing will block or heavily restrict Meta’s cross‑border partnerships. China says it supports law-abiding transnational deals after reports of Meta deal review
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley trimmed its price target to $775 but kept an “Overweight” rating and called Meta a top pick — a high‑profile analyst endorsement that supports buying interest after the recent pullback. Morgan Stanley Trims PT on Meta Platforms (META) to $775 Amid Softer Advertising Backdrop
• Positive Sentiment: Meta continues to push AI product and infra initiatives: it’s building an elite AI lab for recommendations and expanding data‑center supply chains (Corning ground‑breaking) — moves that underpin management’s AI monetization thesis. Meta is assembling an elite new AI lab for its recommendations division Corning and Meta Celebrate Start of Construction on Cable Manufacturing Expansion
• Positive Sentiment: New product launches — two new Ray‑Ban prescription smart glasses and Oakley updates — provide nearer‑term consumer monetization levers outside ads. Product momentum is being cited as a reason investors are “buying the dip.” Meta unveils two new Ray‑Ban prescription smart glasses
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta said it’s deploying AI to speed internal risk reviews during product development — operationally positive but with unclear immediate financial impact. Meta Deploys AI to Accelerate and Enhance Risk Review During Product Development
• Neutral Sentiment: More layoffs (168 roles in Washington state, VR division hit) are being reported — lowers near‑term opex but highlights execution and morale risks. Latest Meta layoffs target 168 employees in Washington state
• Negative Sentiment: Legal setbacks remain the largest overhang: recent jury verdicts (New Mexico and a California “addiction” case) create precedent risk and could open the door to thousands of follow‑on suits and potentially large aggregate damages — a major driver of the recent volatility. Meta is appealing, but uncertainty is high. Meta was finally held accountable for harming teens. Now what? Why Meta’s “Bellwether” Legal Loss Could Open Up a Can of Worms

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on META. Monness Crespi & Hardt upped their target price on Meta Platforms from $808.00 to $890.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Evercore lifted their price target on Meta Platforms from $875.00 to $900.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Meta Platforms from $840.00 to $880.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $800.00 price objective (up from $770.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Raymond James Financial cut their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $800.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 26th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Meta Platforms presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $845.54.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Susan J. Li sold 56,571 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $644.70, for a total transaction of $36,471,323.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 926 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $605.38, for a total transaction of $560,581.88. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 13,335 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,072,742.30. This trade represents a 6.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 161,448 shares of company stock worth $103,333,788 over the last 90 days. 13.61% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.