Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock: Left Brain Wealth Management LLC Increases Holdings

Left Brain Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 10.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 19,654 shares of the social networking company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,784 shares during the period. Meta Platforms makes up 4.5% of Left Brain Wealth Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Left Brain Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $14,253,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in META. Horizons Wealth Management acquired a new position in Meta Platforms during the third quarter worth $33,000. Advantage Trust Co purchased a new position in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the first quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta made its Muse Voice AI available to U.S. users, including voice and video conversations with its consumer AI agent. Wider access could help the company build engagement with its AI products. Meta says US users can now video chat with their Muse AI avatar
• Positive Sentiment: Meta acquired Conductor, a startup that uses multiple AI agents to help build software projects, adding technology and talent to its AI development efforts. Meta acquires AI coding startup Conductor
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta completed a $15 billion senior-notes offering. Strong investor demand supports its ability to raise funds, but the borrowing adds to scrutiny of the cost of financing its AI expansion. Meta Platforms Completes $15 Billion Senior Notes Offering
• Negative Sentiment: Meta, Google and TikTok sued California’s attorney general to block a law restricting features considered addictive for users under 16. The legal challenge highlights continuing regulatory and litigation exposure around youth safety. Meta, Google, and TikTok sue California AG over teen social media law
• Negative Sentiment: Meta’s president warned that political and community opposition over data-center power and water use could make new facilities harder to build. That could complicate the infrastructure buildout needed to support AI growth. Meta warns election backlash against data centers could make AI expansion harder
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage of Meta’s debut euro bond sale pointed to borrowing costs above Alphabet’s, adding to investor concern about the expense of funding the company’s large AI spending plans. Meta Paid 1.4 Times What Alphabet Did to Borrow in Euros
• Negative Sentiment: Delhi Police filed a case concerning child sexual abuse material on Meta’s platforms after intervention by India’s child-rights authorities, creating potential reputational and legal risk. Child Abuse Material On Meta Platforms Flagged, Delhi Police Files FIR After NHRC Intervention

Meta Platforms Price Performance

NASDAQ META opened at $605.08 on Friday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $520.26 and a 52 week high of $779.82. The company has a current ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 1.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The stock has a market cap of $1.55 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $674.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $632.13.

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

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were paid 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%. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. President Capital raised shares of Meta Platforms from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $660.00 to $897.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. UBS Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $920.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Mizuho increased their price target on Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $950.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $650.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group dropped their target price on Meta Platforms from $790.00 to $687.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $833.12.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 3,240 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $618.06, for a total value of $2,002,514.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 6,271 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,875,854.26. The trade was a 34.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 7,848 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $558.00, for a total value of $4,379,184.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $462,024. This represents a 90.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 151,090 shares of company stock valued at $103,150,807. Corporate insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms Company Profile

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.