Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Acquired by North Dakota State Investment Board

North Dakota State Investment Board increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 3.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 67,325 shares of the social networking company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,395 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms makes up approximately 1.9% of North Dakota State Investment Board’s holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. North Dakota State Investment Board’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $48,823,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Advantage Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Philadelphia Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Horizons Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Schuylkill Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Monness Crespi & Hardt reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $875.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Barclays boosted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $780.00 to $880.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Meta Platforms from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Pivotal Research increased their target price on Meta Platforms from $930.00 to $960.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group lowered their target price on Meta Platforms from $790.00 to $687.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Three research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $833.12.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of Meta Platforms stock opened at $621.03 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.90. The firm has a market cap of $1.59 trillion, a P/E ratio of 21.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.28. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $672.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $632.16. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $520.26 and a fifty-two week high of $779.82.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The social networking company reported $7.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.54 by $0.86. The firm had revenue of $64.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the prior year, the business earned $7.25 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 29.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were given a dividend of $0.5250 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is presently 7.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Meta Platforms

In related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 946 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $640.00, for a total value of $605,440.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 5,040 shares in the company, valued at $3,225,600. This trade represents a 15.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 149,515 shares of company stock worth $102,183,520 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 13.53% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s bond sale attracted orders reportedly reaching $58 billion, a sign of robust investor appetite for the company’s debt. That demand may have helped support the stock despite concerns about Big Tech’s AI spending. Article: Meta stock rises as $20B bond sale attracts strong investor demand
• Positive Sentiment: Meta completed a $15 billion, five-part U.S. bond sale. The successful issuance gives the company capital to support its investment plans, while recent earnings-call coverage highlighted ad growth and adoption of its Muse AI tools. Article: Meta raises $15 billion in five-part US bond sale Article: META Q3 Earnings Call Put Spotlight on Muse Growth and AI Spending
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta and Snap settled claims related to alleged harm to young users from social media; financial terms were not disclosed. The settlements avert the scheduled trial, but do not resolve broader scrutiny of platform design. Article: Snap Settled a Social Media Addiction Suit
• Negative Sentiment: The bond financing underscores the cost of Meta’s AI ambitions. Reports indicate borrowing costs rose, while the company is ramping up spending on data centers and AI models—raising questions about returns and pressure on future cash flow. Article: Apple Shares Slip, Meta Debt Costs Rise Article: Meta seeks to raise up to $25 billion in debt sale as AI spending jumps
• Negative Sentiment: Meta postponed new business terms after backlash over potential web scraping, and reports of its AI crawler overwhelming a small business website add to reputational and policy risks. Article: Meta delays new business terms after outcry over potential web scraping of news sites

Meta Platforms 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.