Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) Stake Boosted by F&V Capital Management LLC

F&V Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 76.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,962 shares of the social networking company’s stock after buying an additional 8,245 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms accounts for 2.8% of F&V Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. F&V Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $10,929,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter valued at $19,949,512,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 67,172.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 23,452,665 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $13,517,178,000 after acquiring an additional 23,417,803 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 78,471.1% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,248,763 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $3,658,713,000 after purchasing an additional 6,240,810 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,243,603,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 13.5% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 23,445,565 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $13,727,613,000 after purchasing an additional 2,787,832 shares in the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

META opened at $682.87 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.72 trillion, a P/E ratio of 28.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.26. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $604.07 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $619.26. The company has a quick ratio of 2.98, a current ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12-month low of $442.65 and a 12-month high of $740.91.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The social networking company reported $6.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.33 by $1.10. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 38.17% and a net margin of 37.91%. The company had revenue of $42.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $41.45 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.71 EPS. Meta Platforms’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.31%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is presently 8.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on META. Needham & Company LLC reissued an “underperform” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $650.00 to $665.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $645.00 to $655.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $740.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Monness Crespi & Hardt upped their target price on Meta Platforms from $775.00 to $780.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, thirty-seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $704.26.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 406 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $491.69, for a total transaction of $199,626.14. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 4,608 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,265,707.52. This trade represents a 8.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 475 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $628.25, for a total value of $298,418.75. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 10,272 shares in the company, valued at $6,453,384. The trade was a 4.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 86,201 shares of company stock valued at $56,377,837. 13.61% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms, Inc engages in the development of products that enable people to connect and share with friends and family through mobile devices, personal computers, virtual reality headsets, and wearables worldwide. It operates in two segments, Family of Apps and Reality Labs. The Family of Apps segment offers Facebook, which enables people to share, discuss, discover, and connect with interests; Instagram, a community for sharing photos, videos, and private messages, as well as feed, stories, reels, video, live, and shops; Messenger, a messaging application for people to connect with friends, family, communities, and businesses across platforms and devices through text, audio, and video calls; and WhatsApp, a messaging application that is used by people and businesses to communicate and transact privately.