Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) Stock Holdings Lifted by Rathbones Group PLC

Rathbones Group PLC raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 10.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 320,764 shares of the social networking company’s stock after purchasing an additional 31,502 shares during the period. Meta Platforms accounts for about 0.9% of Rathbones Group PLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Rathbones Group PLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $187,811,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in META. JDM Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Meta Platforms in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. Avondale Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, Cordant Inc. bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $59,000. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 55,589 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $717.72, for a total value of $39,897,337.08. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 8,553 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Saturday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $736.67, for a total value of $6,300,738.51. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 51,793 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $38,154,349.31. This trade represents a 14.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 535,725 shares of company stock worth $356,391,449 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 13.71% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

META has been the topic of several analyst reports. Mizuho increased their price target on Meta Platforms from $675.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $685.00 to $752.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $710.00 to $765.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Meta Platforms from $810.00 to $725.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $790.00 price target on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, thirty-five have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $718.55.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

META stock opened at $504.73 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $1.28 trillion, a PE ratio of 21.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a current ratio of 2.98, a quick ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $648.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $610.77. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $414.50 and a 1-year high of $740.91.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The social networking company reported $8.02 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.75 by $1.27. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 37.91% and a return on equity of 38.17%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $5.33 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Meta Platforms Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a dividend of $0.525 per share. This is a boost from Meta Platforms’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.78%.

Meta Platforms Company 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.