Meta Platforms, Inc. $META is Xponance LLC’s 7th Largest Position

Xponance LLC increased its holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 6.2% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 528,966 shares of the social networking company’s stock after purchasing an additional 30,793 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms makes up approximately 2.6% of Xponance LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Xponance LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $349,165,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Meta Platforms by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 199,995,630 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $132,015,115,000 after acquiring an additional 7,269,279 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position in Meta Platforms by 1.9% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 86,925,674 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $64,158,971,000 after acquiring an additional 1,650,435 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Meta Platforms by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 52,806,712 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $34,734,628,000 after acquiring an additional 878,396 shares during the period. Capital World Investors grew its position in Meta Platforms by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 39,558,637 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $26,112,735,000 after acquiring an additional 310,947 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter worth approximately $22,152,075,000. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on META. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Truist Financial decreased their price target on Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $840.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Erste Group Bank cut Meta Platforms from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Meta Platforms from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on Meta Platforms in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have given a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $840.60.

Key Stories Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reiterated Meta as a “best forever stock,” saying investors are underestimating the company’s widening competitive moat as it pours money into AI infrastructure and keeps strengthening its core business. This is why Morgan Stanley Views Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) as one of the Best Forever Stocks to buy
• Positive Sentiment: Meta deepened its partnership with Reliance Industries to build its first AI-enabled data center in India, reinforcing its global AI expansion and suggesting continued investment in future growth. Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance To Build First Data Center For Meta Platforms In India
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple bullish notes highlighted Meta as a high-quality AI and “forever” compounder stock, with analysts and hedge-fund-related commentary signaling that the recent pullback may be creating a buying opportunity. Are Investors Overlooking Meta Platforms Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group slightly raised its FY2027 EPS estimate for Meta, but kept a Hold rating, which is supportive but not a strong catalyst. Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) – Free Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry commentary around Meta’s data-center buildout and AI capex is increasingly skeptical, with some reports warning that investor concerns about rising spending and unclear near-term returns may keep pressure on the stock. Meta navigates AI investment cycle as Street weighs costs against returns
• Negative Sentiment: Meta’s subscription push and broader AI strategy are facing criticism for exposing weaker near-term monetization beyond advertising, raising concern that the company may have to spend heavily before new revenue streams scale. Meta’s Subscription Push Exposes Its Weak Hand in AI
• Negative Sentiment: Meta and Google were denied a new trial in the youth social media addiction case, leaving a legal overhang in place that could increase regulatory and litigation risk. Google and Meta denied new trial in youth social media addiction case
• Negative Sentiment: Reports of an Instagram account breach tied to an AI bug add to concerns about platform security and product risk. Hackers Breach 20K Instagram Accounts Due to AI Bug

Meta Platforms Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ META opened at $568.43 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.44 trillion, a P/E ratio of 20.66, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a current ratio of 2.35, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $520.26 and a 12-month high of $796.25. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $621.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $636.37.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.67 by $3.77. The business had revenue of $56.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $55.56 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 36.93% and a net margin of 32.84%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 33.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $6.43 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio is 7.63%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Curtis J. Mahoney sold 2,079 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $609.92, for a total value of $1,268,023.68. Following the transaction, the insider owned 1,118 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $681,890.56. This represents a 65.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 2,778 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $629.45, for a total value of $1,748,612.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 10,557 shares in the company, valued at $6,645,103.65. This trade represents a 20.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 41,305 shares of company stock worth $25,567,928. 13.53% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.