Benjamin Edwards Inc. Raises Stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 5.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 65,514 shares of the social networking company’s stock after buying an additional 3,605 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $43,249,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Sandro Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter worth about $542,000. Signature Wealth Management Partners LLC raised its holdings in Meta Platforms by 39.6% in the fourth quarter. Signature Wealth Management Partners LLC now owns 6,405 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $4,228,000 after buying an additional 1,818 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Meta Platforms by 13.9% in the fourth quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 15,330 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $10,132,000 after buying an additional 1,873 shares during the last quarter. Golden Road Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Meta Platforms by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Golden Road Advisors LLC now owns 976 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $644,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Investment Counsel LLC raised its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1,420.3% in the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Counsel LLC now owns 9,958 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $6,573,000 after buying an additional 9,303 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Meta Platforms News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: One bullish analysis argues Meta is attractively priced for a recession scenario, citing 33% year-over-year revenue growth, strong operating margins, and the potential for long-term margin expansion as AI investments drive efficiency. Why Meta Is My Top Pick: Priced For A Recession With Massive Upside
• Positive Sentiment: Meta is testing deeper AI integration in Threads, which could improve engagement and strengthen its product ecosystem over time. Threads tests a Meta AI integration that works similarly to Grok
• Positive Sentiment: Meta offered rival AI chatbots temporary free access to WhatsApp as part of talks with EU antitrust regulators, suggesting the company is actively trying to reduce regulatory friction in Europe. Meta offers rival AI chatbots free access to WhatsApp month
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles discuss Meta’s role in the broader attention economy and compare its platform model with earlier media strategies, but these are not immediate stock catalysts. Ted Turner built the original infinite scroll
• Negative Sentiment: Santa Clara County filed a lawsuit accusing Meta of profiting from scam ads on Facebook and Instagram, adding to concerns about ad quality, moderation, and legal exposure. California county sues Meta over scam ads
• Negative Sentiment: Meta also lost a court fight in Europe over compensation for Italian publishers, reinforcing ongoing regulatory and content-rights risks. Meta loses court fight over compensation to Italian publishers
• Negative Sentiment: Fresh reports and lawsuits alleging scam ads targeting seniors, along with investigations into Meta’s board oversight and privacy/AI practices, could keep sentiment under pressure if they broaden. Meta Faces Fresh Controversy Over Facebook Scam Ads

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of META stock opened at $603.00 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $624.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $642.58. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $520.26 and a 52 week high of $796.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.53 trillion, a PE ratio of 21.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 2.35, a current ratio of 2.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The social networking company reported $10.44 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.67 by $3.77. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 32.84% and a return on equity of 36.93%. The firm had revenue of $56.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.56 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $6.43 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 33.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th were given a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is 7.63%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on META shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $880.00 to $920.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $850.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $840.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Monness Crespi & Hardt lifted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $808.00 to $890.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Friday, March 27th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $840.31.

Insider Activity at Meta Platforms

In related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 926 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $607.74, for a total transaction of $562,767.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 7,779 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,727,609.46. The trade was a 10.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $667.00, for a total transaction of $386,860.00. Following the sale, the director owned 3,847 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,565,949. This trade represents a 13.10% 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 have sold 167,676 shares of company stock valued at $107,299,848 over the last 90 days. 13.61% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.