Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Position Lessened by Parkside Investments LLC

Parkside Investments LLC lowered its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 90.9% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 2,200 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 21,900 shares during the quarter. Parkside Investments LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $1,595,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of META. Horizons Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Advantage Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Meta Platforms Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of META opened at $642.62 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $664.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $629.72. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a one year low of $520.26 and a one year high of $779.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 1.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.64 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.91, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.19.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 21st. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.54 by $0.86. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 30.73% and a net margin of 31.15%. The company had revenue of $64.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $63.34 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $7.25 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 28.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were given 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 is 7.91%.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q3 operating performance: Meta reported $64.6 billion in revenue, up 26% year over year, and adjusted earnings of $7.40 per share versus expectations of roughly $6.54. AI-driven recommendations and advertising tools are improving engagement, ad pricing and conversions. META Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Muse adoption supports the AI thesis: Meta’s Muse AI agent has surpassed 10 million downloads, strengthening the case that the company could eventually monetize AI through subscriptions, enterprise services and additional advertising. However, meaningful revenue contribution is expected later, potentially from 2027 onward. Meta Muse Adoption
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly constructive: UBS, Citigroup, Mizuho, JPMorgan, Bank of America and other firms raised or reaffirmed bullish ratings and price targets, citing resilient advertising growth and long-term AI potential. Some investors, including commentator Mike Khouw, view the selloff as a buying opportunity. Why Mike Khouw Is Buying Meta
• Neutral Sentiment: New Class C shares and a 2-for-1 split: Meta plans to issue one non-voting Class C share for each Class A and Class B share. The move should improve trading liquidity and give Mark Zuckerberg greater flexibility to sell shares or finance AI investment without surrendering voting control, but it does not by itself create economic value for shareholders. Meta’s New Non-Voting Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: Commercial terms delayed: Meta postponed controversial terms that publishers and advertisers said could authorize broader web scraping, moving implementation to November 20 from October 30. The delay may reduce near-term friction, though the underlying regulatory and customer concerns remain. Meta Delays Commercial Terms
• Negative Sentiment: AI spending is the main pressure: Meta lifted the lower end of its 2026 capital-expenditure forecast to $135 billion, with spending potentially reaching $145 billion. Free cash flow turned negative as infrastructure investment accelerated, while credit-default-swap costs reached records. Investors are questioning when Muse and other AI projects will generate returns. Meta AI Spending and Free Cash Flow
• Negative Sentiment: Legal and regulatory risks remain significant: Meta faces a $25 billion New Mexico privacy judgment, additional lawsuits alleging harm to children and scam advertising, and rising legal costs. The company plans to appeal the New Mexico ruling, but the liabilities add uncertainty and pressure margins. Meta New Mexico Privacy Judgment

Analysts Set New Price Targets

META has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Benchmark reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $886.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. CICC Research cut their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $773.00 to $700.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Raymond James Financial upped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $650.00 to $860.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $833.12.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 27,474 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $777.44, for a total transaction of $21,359,386.56. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Christopher K. Cox sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $712.76, for a total transaction of $28,510,400.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 184,516 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $131,515,624.16. This represents a 17.82% decrease in their position. 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. Insiders sold 149,906 shares of company stock worth $102,347,409 over the last three months. Insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

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.