Washington Trust Bank raised its holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META – Free Report) by 4.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 24,533 shares of the social networking company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,127 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms accounts for 1.1% of Washington Trust Bank’s holdings, making the stock its 24th largest position. Washington Trust Bank’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $16,194,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of META. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC raised its position in Meta Platforms by 34.2% during the 3rd quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 52,252 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $38,373,000 after purchasing an additional 13,311 shares during the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH raised its position in Meta Platforms by 15.7% during the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 133,798 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $88,319,000 after purchasing an additional 18,169 shares during the last quarter. Becker Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Meta Platforms by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Becker Capital Management Inc. now owns 35,052 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $25,741,000 after purchasing an additional 1,657 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co. raised its position in Meta Platforms by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 84,059 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $55,487,000 after purchasing an additional 3,336 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cramer Rosenthal Mcglynn LLC raised its position in Meta Platforms by 16.2% during the 3rd quarter. Cramer Rosenthal Mcglynn LLC now owns 6,933 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $5,091,000 after purchasing an additional 968 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company’s stock.
Meta Platforms Stock Performance
META stock opened at $607.38 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $618.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $637.18. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $520.26 and a 1-year high of $796.25. The company has a current ratio of 2.35, a quick ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The firm has a market cap of $1.54 trillion, a PE ratio of 22.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.25.
Trending Headlines about Meta Platforms
Here are the key news stories impacting Meta Platforms this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Meta settled the first U.S. school-district case tied to youth mental health and social media addiction, reducing the risk of an immediate trial and showing some willingness to resolve major litigation. Reuters: Meta settles first US case over school costs tied to youth mental health
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to argue that Meta’s heavy AI investment could support future growth and profitability, with one bullish note calling the stock undervalued relative to its AI opportunity. Seeking Alpha: Meta Platforms: A Call Option On The AI Race
- Neutral Sentiment: Zuckerberg said he does not expect more companywide layoffs this year, but the cuts themselves and the reassignment of workers into AI roles suggest a continued restructuring rather than a clear earnings boost. Reuters: Meta CEO tells employees he does not expect more company-wide layoffs this year
- Negative Sentiment: Texas sued Meta and WhatsApp over alleged privacy and encryption misrepresentations, increasing regulatory and legal risk for META. Reuters: Texas sues Meta, WhatsApp over encryption privacy claims
- Negative Sentiment: Investor focus remains on Meta’s large AI capex and the limited financial impact of layoffs, keeping pressure on the stock as markets question whether spending will translate into stronger returns soon. MarketBeat: Meta Platforms 10% Layoff Raises a Bigger Question About AI Spending
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several research analysts recently issued reports on META shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Meta Platforms from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Evercore raised their target price on Meta Platforms from $875.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Erste Group Bank lowered Meta Platforms from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their target price on Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $930.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Argus reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $800.00 price objective on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $840.19.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on META
Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms
In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 2,778 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $629.45, for a total value of $1,748,612.10. Following the completion of the sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 56,571 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $644.70, for a total value of $36,471,323.70. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 152,728 shares of company stock valued at $96,925,217. 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.
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