Oak Barrel Wealth Advisory LLC Takes Position in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Oak Barrel Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm acquired 1,886 shares of the social networking company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,062,000. Meta Platforms comprises about 0.5% of Oak Barrel Wealth Advisory LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Palatine Hill Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Meta Platforms by 3.1% in the second quarter. Palatine Hill Wealth Management LLC now owns 568 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $320,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the period. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC grew its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 22.0% in the second quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 1,615 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $994,000 after acquiring an additional 291 shares in the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter worth $39,077,000. Principle Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in Meta Platforms by 6.3% during the 2nd quarter. Principle Wealth Partners LLC now owns 23,496 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $13,235,000 after purchasing an additional 1,386 shares during the period. Finally, UP Strategic Wealth Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Meta Platforms by 26.3% in the 2nd quarter. UP Strategic Wealth Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,085 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,228,000 after purchasing an additional 434 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms Stock Down 1.4%

META opened at $644.38 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.64 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.27, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.25. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a one year low of $520.26 and a one year high of $790.80. The business’s fifty day moving average is $600.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $608.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.23.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The social networking company reported $6.18 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.19 by ($1.01). Meta Platforms had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 33.18%. The business had revenue of $60.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $60.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $7.14 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 28.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $815.00 to $725.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $700.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Meta Platforms from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Barclays lowered their target price on Meta Platforms from $830.00 to $780.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $835.00 to $810.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $787.54.

Key Meta Platforms News

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

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan upgraded Meta from Neutral to Overweight and raised its price target from $640 to $820, citing the company’s frontier AI models and AI-agent opportunity as potential growth drivers beyond advertising. JPMorgan upgrades Meta on AI models and agents
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s Muse AI agent gained significant early traction, reportedly reaching the No. 2 position among U.S. apps. Its free and paid subscription tiers could create a recurring revenue stream and help monetize Meta’s substantial AI investments. Meta’s AI agent Muse reaches No. 2 app ranking
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.525 per share, payable September 28 to shareholders of record September 21. The dividend adds to shareholder returns and signals confidence in cash generation. Meta announces quarterly cash dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors remain divided over whether Muse can become a material financial catalyst. Dedicated computing, security and inference costs could pressure margins before subscription revenue scales, while Meta continues to commit heavily to AI infrastructure.
• Negative Sentiment: Star AI researcher Andrew Tulloch is leaving Meta for Anthropic. The departure raises concerns about Meta’s ability to retain high-value technical talent amid intensifying competition for AI researchers. Top AI researcher leaves Meta for Anthropic
• Negative Sentiment: Meta faces renewed privacy and regulatory scrutiny as Muse can access sensitive information and perform actions across third-party applications. Reports of fraudulent cryptocurrency advertisements and related lawsuits add to reputational and legal risks.
• Negative Sentiment: COO Javier Olivan sold shares worth approximately $3.3 million in two transactions under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Although scheduled sales are less concerning, the sizable reduction in his direct holdings may weigh modestly on sentiment.

Insider Activity

In other Meta Platforms news, insider Curtis J. Mahoney sold 1,559 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total value of $869,922.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,957 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,092,006. The trade was a 44.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total value of $4,379,184.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $462,024. The trade was a 90.46% 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 a total of 41,581 shares of company stock worth $24,506,695 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc develops technologies that help people connect, communicate and build communities online. The company’s principal products include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and digital communication.

Meta generates most of its business through advertising displayed across its family of apps. It also develops artificial intelligence technologies, business messaging tools and hardware and software through its Reality Labs division, including Quest virtual- and mixed-reality devices and related experiences.

The company was founded as Facebook in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and was renamed Meta Platforms in 2021 to reflect its broader focus on building the metaverse.