Meta Platforms, Inc. $META is Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s 5th Largest Position

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC cut its holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 18.3% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 45,981 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 10,299 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms makes up 1.9% of Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $33,768,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in META. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.1% in the third quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 51,026 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $37,473,000 after purchasing an additional 2,026 shares during the last quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Meta Platforms by 28.3% during the third quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC now owns 2,363 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,735,000 after buying an additional 521 shares during the last quarter. Cypress Capital Group grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 15.2% during the 3rd quarter. Cypress Capital Group now owns 8,878 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $6,520,000 after buying an additional 1,171 shares in the last quarter. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 634.5% in the 3rd quarter. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE now owns 3,511 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $2,579,000 after acquiring an additional 3,033 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alpha Cubed Investments LLC increased its stake in Meta Platforms by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC now owns 122,722 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $90,124,000 after acquiring an additional 1,539 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on META. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Meta Platforms from $785.00 to $820.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Meta Platforms from $910.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $880.00 to $920.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $815.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $860.00 price objective (up from $750.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $847.40.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst & media bullishness around Meta’s AI leadership and product traction reinforces upside potential — commentators (e.g., Jim Cramer) highlight Meta’s progress in automating model development, which supports the view that Meta can scale AI more efficiently. Meta Platforms (META) CEO Zuckerberg Has “Figured Out How to Have AI Make AI,” Says Jim Cramer
• Positive Sentiment: Bull case pieces argue Meta is monetizing AI strongly (ad redistribution, Reels engagement, models like Lattice/GEM), underpinning revenue and margins upside if execution continues. Meta: Buy The AI Revolution
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s elevated 2026 capex guide and extension of MTIA from inference to training signal sustained hyperscaler demand for AI infrastructure — positive for long‑term AI revenue capture and for partners/suppliers. Meta Soars After-Hours Forecasting Fastest Growth Since 2021
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed institutional moves: some funds (e.g., First Eagle) trimmed positions while others boosted stakes (Alecta, Davis), reflecting both profit‑taking and conviction — a wash for longer‑term ownership trends. First Eagle Investment Management Trims Meta Platforms Stake
• Neutral Sentiment: ESG/energy moves (new PPA for Skull Creek solar) reduce power/operational risk long‑term but are non‑revenue and increase near‑term capital/contract commitments. Zelestra Expands Relationship with Meta — Skull Creek Solar PPA
• Negative Sentiment: Broad market pressure: a broad Big Tech sell‑off tied to fears of an AI spending bubble has removed over $1 trillion from sector values, pressuring META alongside peers as investors de‑risk. Big Tech sees over $1 trillion wiped from stocks as fears of AI bubble ignite sell-off
• Negative Sentiment: Sell‑side caution: Needham warns of 10–15% downside citing valuation and capex risk — analyst caution can amplify short‑term selling if investors fear margin pressure from rising AI spend. Why Needham Warns That Meta Platforms Stock Could Be Headed for 10%-15% Downside
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/regulatory risk: reports questioning the legality of Meta’s data collection and renewed scrutiny around research/data practices (e.g., Moltbook comparisons to 2017 experiments) raise reputational and compliance concerns in key markets. Why Meta Platforms’ data collection is illegal Moltbook furor reminiscent of 2017 Facebook research experiment
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: small, regular sales by COO Javier Olivan have been disclosed — modest on their own but can feed narratives of near‑term profit taking. SEC Filing – Javier Olivan sale

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In other news, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $618.28, for a total transaction of $358,602.40. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 5,587 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,454,330.36. This trade represents a 9.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 517 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $714.60, for a total value of $369,448.20. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 9,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,870,879. The trade was a 5.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 39,594 shares of company stock worth $24,325,407. 13.61% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Meta Platforms Stock Down 1.3%

Meta Platforms stock opened at $661.46 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.67 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.28. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $479.80 and a 52 week high of $796.25. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $656.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $695.12. The company has a quick ratio of 2.60, a current ratio of 2.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $58.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $8.02 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

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

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.