Waycross Partners LLC Has $60.19 Million Stock Position in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Waycross Partners LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 5.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 81,957 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 4,769 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for about 5.2% of Waycross Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Waycross Partners LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $60,188,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of META. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Meta Platforms by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 192,591,101 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $142,149,566,000 after buying an additional 1,532,568 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 86,925,674 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $64,158,971,000 after purchasing an additional 1,650,435 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 51,575,209 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $37,902,948,000 after purchasing an additional 682,768 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter valued at about $23,155,393,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 14,489,621 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $10,694,644,000 after purchasing an additional 262,550 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

META has been the topic of several analyst reports. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $810.00 to $885.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on Meta Platforms in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $800.00 price objective on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Meta Platforms from $880.00 to $920.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $900.00 price target on Meta Platforms in a report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $825.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $844.44.

Meta Platforms News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Huge AMD chip partnership: Meta agreed to a multiyear deal to deploy up to ~6 GW of AMD AI GPUs (potentially tens of billions in purchases and a warrant structure that could give Meta an equity stake), which validates its AI infrastructure roadmap and diversifies suppliers. AMD clinches second mega chip supply deal, this time with Meta
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder return: Meta declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.525 per share (payable March 26), a signal to income‑oriented investors and a partial cushion against capex-driven volatility. Meta (META) Strengthens Investor Appeal With Dividend Payout
• Neutral Sentiment: Stablecoin/payments plans: Multiple reports say Meta is preparing a stablecoin‑based payments pilot for H2 2026 — a potential long‑term monetization and engagement lever but dependent on partners and regulation. Meta Hopes to Launch Stablecoin Payments Project This Year
• Neutral Sentiment: Renewable power agreement: Meta signed an 80 MW solar offtake for U.S. data‑center power — improves ESG profile and operating stability but has limited near‑term earnings impact. MN8 Energy Supports Meta’s U.S. Data Center Operations
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: CFO Susan J. Li sold 18,789 shares (~$12.2M at ~$650 avg.), trimming her stake ~21% — routine disclosures can still trigger short‑term selling and investor concern about insider conviction. SEC filing: Susan J. Li sale
• Negative Sentiment: Legal and reputational risk: A plaintiff is testifying in a landmark case alleging social‑media addiction harms, and internal filings show executives warned that end‑to‑end encryption could impede child‑abuse reporting — heightened litigation/regulatory headlines are a persistent downside risk. Woman suing Meta, YouTube over social media addiction takes the stand at trial
• Negative Sentiment: Technical/market concerns: Some traders warn META may be entering a late‑stage technical correction after the recent rally, which can accelerate short‑term downside if momentum shifts. Meta stock on the verge of a brutal bear cycle, warns expert

Meta Platforms Stock Up 0.3%

NASDAQ META opened at $639.30 on Wednesday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $479.80 and a 52 week high of $796.25. The company has a quick ratio of 2.60, a current ratio of 2.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The company has a market capitalization of $1.62 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.28. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $656.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $687.24.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.16 by $0.72. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 30.08% and a return on equity of 38.61%. The company had revenue of $59.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $58.33 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $8.02 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 23.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.94%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Meta Platforms news, COO Javier Olivan sold 172 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $639.18, for a total value of $109,938.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 17,965 shares in the company, valued at $11,482,868.70. This represents a 0.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 8,089 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $631.24, for a total transaction of $5,106,100.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 2,841 shares in the company, valued at $1,793,352.84. This trade represents a 74.01% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 46,580 shares of company stock valued at $30,048,498 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 13.61% 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.