Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Sold by Northern Lights Advisors Inc.

Northern Lights Advisors Inc. decreased its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 22.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,230 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 947 shares during the period. Meta Platforms makes up about 1.2% of Northern Lights Advisors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. Northern Lights Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $2,342,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 92,033,963 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $51,841,811,000 after purchasing an additional 3,510,123 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 14.6% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,038,035 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $12,036,491,000 after purchasing an additional 2,673,494 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 12,836,063 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $7,230,426,000 after purchasing an additional 162,909 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its stake in Meta Platforms by 18.1% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 11,858,972 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $6,784,873,000 after purchasing an additional 1,815,017 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.0% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 10,429,812 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $5,964,745,000 after buying an additional 404,948 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In related news, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 40,000 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total value of $28,510,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 184,516 shares in the company, valued at $131,515,624.16. The trade was a 17.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total transaction of $2,002,514.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 6,271 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,875,854.26. This trade represents a 34.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 148,440 shares of company stock worth $101,456,300. Insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of NASDAQ META opened at $620.19 on Wednesday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52-week low of $520.26 and a 52-week high of $779.82. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $665.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $632.70.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 21st. The social networking company reported $7.40 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.86. The firm had revenue of $64.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $63.34 billion. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $7.25 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were given a dividend of $0.5250 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

META has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Pivotal Research upped their target price on Meta Platforms from $930.00 to $960.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Meta Platforms from $1,000.00 to $995.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Citic Securities dropped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $718.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Meta Platforms from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $775.00 to $820.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $833.12.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Nvidia partnership validates Meta’s AI strategy: Nvidia plans to invest $3 billion in Meta and expand cooperation on Meta’s Muse AI assistant and model family. Meta is expected to deploy more Nvidia hardware, potentially strengthening Muse’s capabilities and supporting future monetization. Nvidia, Meta partner on Muse agent as Nvidia invests $3 billion
• Positive Sentiment: Core business momentum remains strong: Meta reported quarterly revenue of $64.6 billion, up 26% year over year, and exceeded earnings expectations. Advertising benefited from higher impressions and pricing, while analysts cited Meta’s massive user base and Muse’s potential in commerce, subscriptions and business tools. Analysts Turn Bullish on Meta Platforms Despite Post-Earnings Fall
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive: Several analysts raised price targets or maintained bullish ratings, arguing that AI-enhanced advertising and successful adoption of Muse could create significant long-term revenue growth. Meta’s $825B AI Bet Is Massive, But Muse Could Make It Worth It

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc is a technology company that develops social networking, messaging, virtual and augmented reality, and artificial intelligence products. The company’s principal platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Threads, which enable users to connect, communicate, share content, and discover products and services.

Meta also operates Reality Labs, its division focused on virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies. Reality Labs develops products such as Meta Quest virtual reality headsets and related software and experiences, along with research and hardware intended to support immersive computing.