Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Sold by Leuthold Group LLC

Leuthold Group LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 5.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 19,101 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 1,028 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for about 1.1% of Leuthold Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Leuthold Group LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $10,759,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Chilton Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC now owns 168,076 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $94,676,000 after acquiring an additional 5,058 shares during the last quarter. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 14.1% during the second quarter. Symphony Financial Ltd. Co. now owns 10,717 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $6,031,000 after purchasing an additional 1,321 shares during the last quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the second quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC now owns 5,594 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $3,151,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. DSM Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 9.5% in the second quarter. DSM Capital Partners LLC now owns 548,698 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $309,076,000 after purchasing an additional 47,544 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 32.1% in the second quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,497 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $843,000 after purchasing an additional 364 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on META. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $750.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Citizens Jmp dropped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $770.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $763.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $650.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $785.22.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

META stock opened at $610.68 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market capitalization of $1.56 trillion, a P/E ratio of 23.00, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.25. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $594.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $609.21. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a twelve month low of $520.26 and a twelve month high of $790.80.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last announced its earnings results 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 net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The business had revenue of $60.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $7.14 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.17 EPS for the current year.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta unveiled Muse Spark 1.3, an upgraded AI model that AI chief Alexandr Wang says delivers the company’s biggest performance improvement yet and is comparable with offerings from Anthropic and OpenAI. The announcement strengthened expectations that Meta can compete more effectively in generative AI and monetize its large user base. Meta Rises 4% as Muse Spark 1.3 Claims Parity With Anthropic and OpenAI
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts said Meta’s settlement of major social-media litigation could remove a legal overhang and accelerate the launch of new AI products. Some investors view the settlement as manageable relative to Meta’s scale and believe teen-usage restrictions may have limited revenue impact. Meta settlement could clear the way for new AI product launches, Morgan Stanley says
• Positive Sentiment: Investment commentary highlighted Meta as one of the leading “hyperscalers” supporting the AI ecosystem, with strong revenue growth, user engagement and long-term AI monetization potential. Hyperscalers are the backbone of AI
• Neutral Sentiment: Wedbush reaffirmed its Neutral rating, signaling that the AI opportunity is balanced by valuation, execution and spending concerns. Wedbush Reaffirms Neutral Rating for Meta Platforms
• Negative Sentiment: Meta reportedly agreed to pay as much as $17 billion over 10 years and make major changes to Instagram and Facebook for teen users. The settlement may reduce legal uncertainty, but its cost and potential limits on engagement create financial and operating risks. Meta Is Making These Major Changes for Teen Users After $17 Billion Settlement
• Negative Sentiment: Commentary warned that AI infrastructure spending could approach $145 billion, compressing free cash flow even as revenue grows. Investors also remain concerned about Meta’s dependence on successful AI execution to justify a recovery toward its prior high. Meta Stock Has a New AI Catalyst
• Negative Sentiment: Meta is paying users to share how they use its latest AI model, raising privacy and reputational concerns that could complicate adoption. Separately, the company disabled cameras on some AI glasses after detecting tampering with recording lights. Meta is paying to peek at how you use their latest AI model

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In other news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total value of $4,379,184.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $462,024. This represents a 90.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Susan Li sold 9,196 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $550.61, for a total transaction of $5,063,409.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 13,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,260,343.46. This trade represents a 41.09% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 32,987 shares of company stock valued at $19,202,995. Company 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.