Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Sold by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Handelsbanken Fonder AB decreased its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 1,120,604 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 9,260 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises about 1.8% of Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $631,225,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. RHL Group LLC purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Bayban lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 100.0% in the 1st quarter. Bayban now owns 70 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $561.56, for a total value of $280,780.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,943 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,652,671.08. This represents a 14.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 837 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $607.85, for a total transaction of $508,770.45. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 6,290 shares in the company, valued at $3,823,376.50. This represents a 11.74% 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. Insiders sold 36,715 shares of company stock worth $22,374,725 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Muse Glimmer strengthens Meta’s AI positioning. Meta released Muse Glimmer, a 30-billion-parameter open-weight model licensed under Apache 2.0. Designed for autonomous AI agents, 4-bit quantization allows it to run locally on high-end consumer computers rather than exclusively through cloud infrastructure. The release could expand developer adoption, accelerate innovation and challenge the closed-model strategies of OpenAI and Anthropic. Meta returns to open source with Muse Glimmer
• Positive Sentiment: Zuckerberg outlined a broad AI distribution strategy. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Meta intends to make advanced AI—including open models and personal AI agents—widely available and affordable. Investors may view the approach as a way to commoditize competing AI software while using developer feedback and improved models to increase engagement and advertising performance across Facebook and Instagram. Meta launches new AI model as Zuckerberg champions open-weight push
• Neutral Sentiment: The strategy remains a long-term bet. Meta’s second-quarter revenue increased 28% year over year to $60.8 billion, supported by strong ad impressions and pricing, but the company missed the consensus EPS estimate. The open-weight launch may improve Meta’s competitive position, yet the financial benefits are indirect and could take time to materialize. Meta Platforms stock overview
• Negative Sentiment: AI spending continues to pressure near-term returns. Meta expects full-year capital expenditures of approximately $130 billion to $145 billion. The spending has sharply reduced free cash flow and compressed operating margins, prompting concerns that AI infrastructure investments may not generate sufficient demand or earnings growth soon enough. Meta’s Free Cash Flow Will Surge
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and trust risks remain overhangs. Meta faces a U.S. trial brought by four states that could involve claims of up to $1.4 trillion, while separate child-safety rulings and public skepticism toward AI and Meta’s smart glasses add reputational risk. These headlines could limit enthusiasm despite the company’s strong balance sheet. Meta faces $1.4T penalties

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Raymond James Financial upped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Meta Platforms from $835.00 to $640.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $835.00 to $810.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Scotiabank reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $600.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $750.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $785.32.

Meta Platforms Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of META stock opened at $594.92 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $1.50 trillion, a P/E ratio of 22.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.25. 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 fifty-two week low of $520.26 and a fifty-two week high of $796.25. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $597.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $621.66.

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). The company had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.22 billion. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. Meta Platforms’s quarterly revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $7.14 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

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

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.