Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Stock: Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. Cuts Position

Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. lowered its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 83.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 15,380 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 76,300 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises approximately 0.8% of Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co.’s holdings, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $11,153,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bill Few Associates Inc. lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bill Few Associates Inc. now owns 1,206 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $874,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. increased its position in Meta Platforms by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 866 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $630,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. Tenzing Financial LLC increased its position in Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Tenzing Financial LLC now owns 1,210 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $726,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the period. Uptown Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Uptown Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,273 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $717,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the period. Finally, Sheets Smith Wealth Management raised its position in Meta Platforms by 2.8% in the second quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management now owns 594 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $334,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Meta Platforms Trading Up 2.9%

Meta Platforms stock traded up $18.08 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $641.69. 15,115,862 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 24,035,764. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $679.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $631.72. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $520.26 and a 52 week high of $779.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.64 trillion, a PE ratio of 21.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.28. 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 (NASDAQ:META) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.86. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 31.15% and a return on equity of 30.73%. The firm had revenue of $64.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $63.34 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $7.25 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 26.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

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

Latest Meta Platforms News

Investors following META have been watching these news items:

• Positive Sentiment: ETFs bought about $102.4 million of META shares on Nov. 11, indicating institutional demand that may have helped support the stock. 55 ETFs Add to Meta Platforms (META) on Nov. 11
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta employees are testing Takes, an in-development prediction-market app where users make forecasts using “cred,” not money. A public launch is uncertain, so any business impact remains unclear. Meta employees test prediction-market app, WSJ reports
• Negative Sentiment: Recent coverage has raised concerns about Meta’s $27 billion AI data-center financing arrangement, while a UK regulator fined the company over repeated inaccuracies in WhatsApp Business data. These headlines add financial and regulatory risk to the investment picture. Meta’s $27B Off-Balance-Sheet AI Deal Reminds Steve Eisman of Enron— Joseph Carlson Disagrees Meta fined by UK regulator over repeated inaccuracies in WhatsApp Business data

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $631.03, for a total value of $596,954.38. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 3,148 shares in the company, valued at $1,986,482.44. The trade was a 23.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 148,846 shares of company stock valued at $101,660,996. Company insiders own 13.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

META has been the subject of several recent research reports. Moffett Nathanson cut their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $740.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. China Renaissance lowered their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $825.00 to $700.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $1,000.00 to $995.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research 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 report on Thursday, September 24th. Finally, Roth Capital cut their price objective on Meta Platforms from $820.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-seven have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $833.12.

Meta Platforms Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc. is a global technology company that develops social networking, messaging, and digital communication products. Its services include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Threads, which connect people and help businesses reach audiences around the world. The company also develops virtual and augmented reality products and technologies through its Reality Labs division, including Quest headsets and related software and services. Advertising is a central part of Meta’s business, with its platforms providing tools for businesses to promote products and services.