Trust Co. of Vermont Takes Position in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Trust Co. of Vermont acquired a new position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 69,372 shares of the social networking company’s stock, valued at approximately $39,077,000. Meta Platforms makes up about 1.5% of Trust Co. of Vermont’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RHL Group LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Niles Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 2,838 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $616.71, for a total transaction of $1,750,222.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 11,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,192,072.02. This trade represents a 19.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Curtis Mahoney sold 1,559 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total transaction of $869,922.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 1,957 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,092,006. This represents a 44.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 41,581 shares of company stock valued at $24,506,695. 13.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $644.38 on Friday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a twelve month low of $520.26 and a twelve month high of $790.80. The company’s 50 day moving average is $600.28 and its 200 day moving average is $608.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.23, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market cap of $1.64 trillion, a PE ratio of 24.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.25.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $800.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $770.00 to $680.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Meta Platforms from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $800.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $700.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $787.54.

More 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.

Meta Platforms 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.