Eastern Bank Has $112.30 Million Stock Position in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Eastern Bank increased its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 152,916 shares of the social networking company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,459 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms accounts for 2.0% of Eastern Bank’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Eastern Bank’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $112,299,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in META. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.4% during the second quarter. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors now owns 3,506 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $2,587,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares during the period. Hemington Wealth Management grew its position in Meta Platforms by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 2,223 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,641,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. Trust Co of the South increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Trust Co of the South now owns 1,850 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,359,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Sentinel Pension Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Meta Platforms by 1.6% during the third quarter. Sentinel Pension Advisors LLC now owns 915 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $672,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alpine Bank Wealth Management raised its holdings in Meta Platforms by 0.3% during the third quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management now owns 4,301 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $3,159,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of Meta Platforms stock opened at $612.96 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $640.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $697.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 12 month low of $479.80 and a 12 month high of $796.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.54 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.29.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.74 by $0.51. The firm had revenue of $51.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $49.34 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 39.35% and a net margin of 30.89%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.03 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were given a $0.525 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is currently 9.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on META. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Oppenheimer downgraded Meta Platforms from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on Meta Platforms from $720.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $1,117.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-seven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $821.55.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In other news, CFO Susan J. Li sold 6,875 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Saturday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $609.46, for a total transaction of $4,190,037.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 88,370 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $53,857,980.20. This represents a 7.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $609.35, for a total transaction of $365,610.00. Following the sale, the director owned 7,347 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,476,894.45. The trade was a 7.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 40,115 shares of company stock valued at $24,741,055. Corporate insiders own 13.61% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Meta Platforms

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta will begin showing ads on Threads globally next week — Threads has passed ~400M users and data suggests rapid DAU growth versus X; global ad availability is a direct near‑term revenue catalyst as the company starts to monetize that audience. Meta to begin rolling out Threads ads globally
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s new AI lab (Superintelligence Labs) has delivered its first in‑house models, per the CTO — this progress supports product differentiation, reduces dependency on third‑party models, and improves the narrative around AI ROI for Meta’s heavy capex. Exclusive: Meta’s new AI team has delivered first key models
• Positive Sentiment: Oklo’s stock upgrade highlights Meta’s agreement to use advanced nuclear power for data centers — a multi‑year, binding energy supply deal could lower long‑term data‑center energy costs and improve sustainability credentials. Oklo Stock Upgraded to Buy. Meta Nuclear Deal Is a ‘Meaningful Step Forward.
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS trimmed its price target (from $915 to $830) but kept a buy rating — analysts still see upside, though the lowered target highlights ongoing uncertainty around timing/returns of AI investments. UBS lowers META price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta cut ~1,500 Reality Labs roles and reported additional smaller layoffs — a cost‑reduction move that trims losses in non‑core metaverse projects but signals scaling back of prior bets. Meta lays off 331 workers in Washington state
• Negative Sentiment: The FTC will appeal its loss in the antitrust case over Instagram and WhatsApp — renewed legal risk keeps a regulatory overhang that could drive volatility and potential future remedies. FTC will appeal ruling in Meta antitrust case
• Negative Sentiment: Some customers left Manus after Meta’s ~$2B acquisition — customer attrition and privacy concerns around the buy create execution and reputational risk for Meta’s AI push. Meta’s $2 billion Manus deal pushes away some customers
• Negative Sentiment: UK regulator alleges Meta profited from illegal gambling ads — another regulatory/PR headwind that could prompt stricter oversight or fines in key markets. Britain accuses Meta of profiting from illegal gambling ads
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale: a director sold 580 shares (filed disclosure) — small size but sometimes taken by investors as a modest negative signal. Insider filing: Kimmitt sale

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.