United Advisor Group LLC Purchases 964 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

United Advisor Group LLC grew its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 8.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,806 shares of the social networking company’s stock after purchasing an additional 964 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises approximately 0.9% of United Advisor Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. United Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $9,286,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bill Few Associates Inc. raised its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the third quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. now owns 1,206 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $874,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1.8% in the third quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 866 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $630,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Tenzing Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the second quarter. Tenzing Financial LLC now owns 1,210 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $726,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the period. Uptown Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 1.3% during the second quarter. Uptown Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,273 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $717,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sheets Smith Wealth Management boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 2.8% during the second quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management now owns 594 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $334,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

META has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $886.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Moffett Nathanson lowered their price objective on Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $740.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Deutsche Bank upped their target price on Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $820.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Citizens Jmp reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $885.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $833.12.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $628.77 on Thursday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a twelve month low of $520.26 and a twelve month high of $779.82. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $678.62 and its 200-day moving average is $632.12. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.61 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.44, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.28.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.86. The business had revenue of $64.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $63.34 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 31.15% and a return on equity of 30.73%. Meta Platforms’s revenue was up 26.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $7.25 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a $0.5250 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.16%.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In other news, insider Christopher Cox sold 40,000 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total transaction of $28,510,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at $131,515,624.16. This trade represents a 17.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total transaction of $2,002,514.40. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 6,271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,875,854.26. This represents a 34.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 149,398 shares of company stock valued at $102,134,435. Corporate insiders own 13.42% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Meta Platforms

Here are a few of the latest stories about META:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan named Meta its preferred internet stock, citing AI’s contribution to advertising performance and potential growth in Family of Apps ad revenue. Article: Meta Platforms Wins JPMorgan Backing
• Positive Sentiment: Meta launched its Muse AI agent on Apple Watch and Wear OS, adding voice and text access that could broaden use of its assistant. Article: Meta’s AI agent Muse lands on Apple Watch
• Negative Sentiment: Meta’s Facebook was fined by Brazil’s electoral court over alleged failure to provide equal content during a presidential campaign, adding regulatory and reputational risk. Article: Meta Fined by Brazil Electoral Court

Meta Platforms Company Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc. is a global technology company that develops social networking, messaging, and digital communication products. Its services include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Threads, which connect people and help businesses reach audiences around the world. The company also develops virtual and augmented reality products and technologies through its Reality Labs division, including Quest headsets and related software and services. Advertising is a central part of Meta’s business, with its platforms providing tools for businesses to promote products and services.