Maridea Wealth Management LLC Buys 4,907 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Maridea Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 154.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,083 shares of the social networking company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,907 shares during the period. Meta Platforms comprises approximately 0.9% of Maridea Wealth Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Maridea Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $5,918,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors now owns 3,506 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $2,587,000 after buying an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co of the South grew its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.8% in the third quarter. Trust Co of the South now owns 1,850 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,359,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Sentinel Pension Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.6% in the third quarter. Sentinel Pension Advisors LLC now owns 915 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $672,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.3% during the third quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management now owns 4,301 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $3,159,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 3.2% during the third quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 454 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $334,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Zacks Research downgraded Meta Platforms from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Pivotal Research cut their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $930.00 to $910.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Evercore raised their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $875.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $800.00 price objective (up from $770.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $872.00 target price (up from $830.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus 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: Big AI chip deal with AMD: Meta agreed to a multiyear supply/partnership to deploy up to ~6 GW of AMD AI GPUs and could purchase as much as 10% of AMD, representing billions in committed chip spend that diversifies Meta’s supplier base and validates its large-scale AI buildout. VIEW AMD secures Meta as next big AI chip customer
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder return: Meta declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.525 per share, payable March 26, which supports total-return investors and can help underpin the stock during AI‑capex cycles. Meta (META) Strengthens Investor Appeal With Dividend Payout
• Neutral Sentiment: Stablecoin/payments push: Multiple reports say Meta is preparing to re-enter payments with stablecoin integration across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp potentially in H2 2026 — a longer‑term monetization opportunity but subject to partner deals and regulatory scrutiny. Meta Hopes to Launch Stablecoin Payments Project This Year
• Neutral Sentiment: Renewable power deal: Meta signed a long-term offtake for an 80 MW solar project in Pennsylvania to support US data‑center operations — positive for operations/ESG but limited immediate financial impact. MN8 Energy Supports Meta’s U.S. Data Center Operations
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment: Consensus analyst coverage remains positive-to-cautious (consensus “Moderate Buy”), suggesting Wall Street sees upside tied to AI execution but also recognizes valuation and capex risks. Meta Platforms Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy”
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale: CFO Susan J. Li sold 18,789 shares (~$12.2M at ~$650 average), lowering her stake ~21%; insider sales can raise concern about executive conviction despite routine explanations. SEC filing: Susan J. Li sale
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/reputational risk: Court filings show internal warnings that planned end‑to‑end encryption could impede reporting of child‑exploitation cases, heightening regulatory and litigation risk that could create headlines and potential compliance costs. Meta executive warned Facebook Messenger encryption plan was ‘so irresponsible’

Meta Platforms Stock Up 0.3%

META stock opened at $639.30 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $656.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $687.24. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a twelve month low of $479.80 and a twelve month high of $796.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.62 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.20, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a quick ratio of 2.60, a current ratio of 2.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

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

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The business 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 of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is currently 8.94%.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In related news, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $646.00, for a total value of $374,680.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 6,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,983,882. This represents a 8.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 2,461 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Sunday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $639.77, for a total value of $1,574,473.97. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 12,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,746,335.16. This trade represents a 16.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 46,580 shares of company stock worth $30,048,498. Company insiders own 13.61% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms Company 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.