Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA Raises Holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 4.2% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 286,906 shares of the social networking company’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,569 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms makes up about 2.0% of Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $164,719,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in META. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 34,551 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $20,230,000 after buying an additional 570 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,456 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $5,537,000 after acquiring an additional 875 shares during the period. Headwater Capital Co Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 294.7% in the 1st quarter. Headwater Capital Co Ltd now owns 150,000 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $86,454,000 after acquiring an additional 112,000 shares during the period. Dymon Asia Capital Singapore PTE. LTD. purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at $213,000. Finally, Capital & Planning LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth $322,000. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on META. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $800.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Mizuho set a $750.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Monness Crespi & Hardt reduced their price objective on Meta Platforms from $890.00 to $730.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $800.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $785.32.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of META opened at $543.82 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52-week low of $520.26 and a 52-week high of $790.80. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $594.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $618.43. The company has a market capitalization of $1.39 trillion, a PE ratio of 20.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 33.18% and a net margin of 29.83%.The company had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $60.22 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $7.14 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 28.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 25th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were given a $0.525 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is currently 7.91%.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts view META’s decline as excessive, arguing that one-time legal and severance costs have weighed on earnings and that future margin expansion, AI-powered advertising, and WhatsApp monetization could support substantial upside. Meta also remains among the major technology holdings disclosed by Appaloosa Management. Meta’s Dip Offers A 30% Upside Potential
• Neutral Sentiment: A federal child-safety trial has begun in California, with 29 states alleging that Meta designed Facebook and Instagram to encourage compulsive use among younger users, concealed health risks, and violated child-privacy and consumer-protection laws. The states are seeking potentially enormous damages—reported at roughly $200 billion in some filings and as much as $1.4 trillion in broader claims—as well as changes to the platforms. The outcome could establish a precedent for similar lawsuits and regulatory action across the industry. Meta faces 29-state trial that could reshape Instagram and Facebook
• Negative Sentiment: The trial is the immediate catalyst for investor selling because a loss could lead to major financial penalties, costly product changes, and restrictions on how Meta engages younger users—potentially affecting user engagement and advertising revenue. The risk is amplified by Meta’s recent loss of a nearly $1 billion New Mexico judgment and the prospect of additional lawsuits. Meta Stock Sinks as $200B Trial Threatens Facebook and Instagram Ad Revenue
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are also scrutinizing Meta’s AI spending. Large data-center investments are consuming cash, while debt and off-balance-sheet financing arrangements could create future obligations if AI assets underperform. Meta’s recent quarterly EPS miss and margin pressure add to concerns that the AI buildout may take time to generate returns. What Could Meta’s Off-Balance-Sheet AI Financing Mean for Investors?
• Negative Sentiment: Privacy concerns are spreading beyond regulators: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has barred employees from wearing Meta’s smart glasses at work, adding to reputational and adoption risks for the device business. ICE Bars Its Workers From Wearing Meta’s Smart Glasses on the Job

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Meta Platforms news, COO Javier Olivan sold 1,258 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $600.00, for a total transaction of $754,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 1,517 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $910,200. This trade represents a 45.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 2,127 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Saturday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $689.85, for a total value of $1,467,310.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 15,347 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,587,127.95. This trade represents a 12.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 19,899 shares of company stock worth $12,290,969 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

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.