Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Holdings Boosted by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,603,476 shares of the social networking company’s stock after purchasing an additional 400,739 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms makes up 1.7% of Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 0.34% of Meta Platforms worth $6,350,141,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Graham Capital Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Meta Platforms by 92.4% during the 2nd quarter. Graham Capital Wealth Management LLC now owns 762 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $562,000 after acquiring an additional 366 shares in the last quarter. Watchman Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Watchman Group Inc. now owns 5,148 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $3,800,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd grew its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 2.9% in the second quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 333,785 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $244,875,000 after purchasing an additional 9,545 shares in the last quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at approximately $12,776,000. Finally, White Pine Capital LLC lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 64.5% during the second quarter. White Pine Capital LLC now owns 4,464 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $3,295,000 after buying an additional 1,750 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Aaron Anderson sold 726 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $591.60, for a total value of $429,501.60. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 6,035 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,570,306. This trade represents a 10.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 11,690 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.31, for a total transaction of $6,935,793.90. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 2,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,432,843.65. This trade represents a 82.88% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 40,923 shares of company stock valued at $26,007,416. 13.61% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of META stock opened at $640.87 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $680.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $706.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.62 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $479.80 and a 52 week high of $796.25.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The social networking company reported $7.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.74 by $0.51. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 39.35% and a net margin of 30.89%.The business had revenue of $51.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $49.34 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $6.03 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Meta Platforms has set its Q4 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 22nd were given a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 22nd. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is currently 9.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group upped their target price on Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $915.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $810.00 to $770.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $900.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $875.00 to $810.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $825.00 price target (down previously from $900.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-eight have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $823.93.

Meta Platforms Profile

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.