Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Sold by UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp

UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp reduced its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 61,323 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 2,665 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises approximately 2.5% of UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $45,034,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bare Financial Services Inc bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter valued at $30,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at about $42,000. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at approximately $44,000. WFA Asset Management Corp raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 42.6% during the second quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 67 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Spurstone Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter worth about $59,000. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Jennifer Newstead sold 519 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $658.69, for a total transaction of $341,860.11. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 28,658 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,876,738.02. The trade was a 1.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 517 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $665.00, for a total transaction of $343,805.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 10,132 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,737,780. This represents a 4.85% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 40,113 shares of company stock valued at $24,621,042. 13.61% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Meta Platforms Trading Down 3.0%

Shares of META stock opened at $716.50 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.81 trillion, a P/E ratio of 30.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.29. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $652.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $696.01. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $479.80 and a 1 year high of $796.25. The company has a current ratio of 2.60, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.16 by $0.72. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 30.08% and a return on equity of 38.61%. The firm had revenue of $59.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $58.33 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $8.02 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were paid a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is presently 8.94%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on META shares. Wedbush upped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $880.00 to $900.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Arete Research set a $718.00 target price on Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Benchmark cut Meta Platforms from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $800.00 to $825.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $875.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $847.98.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat + AI narrative shift: Meta reported stronger‑than‑expected Q4 revenue and EPS and management framed ad strength as early proof that AI investments are improving monetization and engagement — a narrative some analysts now call an AI profit cycle. Meta’s Story Just Flipped — Seeking Alpha
• Positive Sentiment: Strong guidance & analyst upgrades: Q1 revenue guidance topped Street expectations and many firms raised price targets or reiterated buys, supporting the recent rally and giving institutional investors cover to support higher valuations. MarketBeat: Meta Soars After‑Hours
• Neutral Sentiment: Business diversification tests: Meta is piloting premium subscriptions for Instagram/Facebook/WhatsApp and expanding AI features — potential long‑term upside but unclear near‑term revenue impact. CNBC: Premium subscription tests
• Neutral Sentiment: Supply deals validate buildout but signal capital intensity: large supplier agreements (e.g., with Corning) back the AI data‑center plan while confirming heavy multi‑year spending. CNBC: Corning deal
• Negative Sentiment: Massive 2026 CapEx: Management guided to $115B–$135B of capex for 2026 — far above prior levels — raising near‑term cash intensity and margin dilution concerns despite management saying operating income should hold. Reuters: CapEx rise
• Negative Sentiment: Reality Labs drag: XR/Reality Labs continues to burn cash (multi‑billion losses), creating an ongoing margin headwind and execution risk for non‑ad businesses. TechCrunch: $19B VR burn
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory & reputational headlines: A New Mexico trial alleging platforms exposed minors to exploitation and reports about content‑blocking controversies add legal and reputational risk that can pressure multiple‑quarter sentiment. Reuters: New Mexico trial
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term profit‑taking & headline noise: high short‑term expectations after the rally, occasional pundit criticism (e.g., Jim Cramer) and small insider sales add to volatility and can push the stock down after its run. 247WallSt: Jim Cramer critique

Meta Platforms Profile

Meta Platforms, Inc (NASDAQ: META), formerly Facebook, Inc, is a global technology company best known for building social networking services and immersive computing platforms. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Menlo Park, California, the company operates a family of consumer-facing products and services that connect users, creators and businesses. In October 2021 the company rebranded as Meta to reflect an expanded strategic focus on augmented and virtual reality technologies alongside its social media businesses.

Meta’s core consumer products include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, which enable social networking, messaging, content sharing and community building across mobile and desktop devices.