Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Position Boosted by WestEnd Advisors LLC

WestEnd Advisors LLC boosted its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 9.9% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 61,470 shares of the social networking company’s stock after buying an additional 5,533 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms makes up 1.0% of WestEnd Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. WestEnd Advisors LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $44,579,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in META. Corient Private Wealth LP raised its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 723.1% during the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 8,801,764 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $4,957,946,000 after buying an additional 7,732,446 shares in the last quarter. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at about $2,948,486,000. State Street Corp grew its position in Meta Platforms by 4.0% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 92,033,963 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $51,841,811,000 after acquiring an additional 3,510,123 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position 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 valued at $12,036,491,000 after acquiring an additional 2,673,494 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi grew its position in Meta Platforms by 18.1% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 11,858,972 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $6,784,873,000 after acquiring an additional 1,815,017 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on META shares. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $600.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Tigress Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $945.00 price objective (down from $995.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. Phillip Securities upgraded shares of Meta Platforms from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and cut their target price for the company from $795.00 to $750.00 in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $580.00 to $685.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $833.12.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $640.00, for a total transaction of $605,440.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 5,040 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,225,600. This represents a 15.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 149,515 shares of company stock valued at $102,183,520. Company insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s advertising business remains a key support. Revenue increased 26% in the latest quarter, and AI-driven improvements to ad targeting and engagement are helping Meta benefit even as AI agents pressure traditional search. Why AI is boosting Meta’s ad business while hurting Google search
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to view Meta favorably, with the stock receiving a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating. The company’s long-term upside depends on whether its AI investments generate sufficient advertising and new-business growth. Meta Platforms Stock Now Rated Moderate Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta postponed new business-account terms after criticism that they could enable extensive scraping of news and other websites. The delay reduces immediate backlash but highlights ongoing concerns about AI data practices and potential regulation. Meta delays new business terms after outcry
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are increasingly focused on the scale and funding of Meta’s AI buildout. The company is reportedly considering at least $20 billion in bond offerings, while a separate 6.5% preferred-share issuance raises concerns about expensive capital, dilution-like effects, and balance-sheet pressure. Meta eyes at least $20 billion from potential bond offerings Meta 6.5% preferreds issuance
• Negative Sentiment: Large capital expenditures—projected at $135 billion to $145 billion for 2026—are raising questions about free cash flow, returns on AI investment, and possible shareholder dilution. Market pressure on major AI spenders has added to the stock’s weakness. Meta and Alphabet face market pressure over capital expenditures
• Negative Sentiment: Settlements involving alleged social-media addiction and harm to young users may limit litigation costs in the near term, but plaintiffs’ attorneys are still demanding product and safety changes, preserving regulatory and reputational risk. Attorney calls for meaningful changes after Meta and Snap settlements

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

NASDAQ:META opened at $606.73 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a twelve month low of $520.26 and a twelve month high of $779.82. The company has a fifty day moving average of $671.17 and a 200-day moving average of $632.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.55 trillion, a P/E ratio of 20.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.19.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.86. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 31.15% and a return on equity of 30.73%. The business had revenue of $64.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $63.34 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $7.25 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.01 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a $0.5250 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.16%.

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.