Darden Wealth Group Inc Purchases 1,015 Shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. $META

Darden Wealth Group Inc boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 55.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,862 shares of the social networking company’s stock after buying an additional 1,015 shares during the period. Meta Platforms makes up about 1.3% of Darden Wealth Group Inc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Darden Wealth Group Inc’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $2,112,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of META. Csenge Advisory Group lifted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 12.0% during the first quarter. Csenge Advisory Group now owns 9,539 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $5,498,000 after acquiring an additional 1,019 shares in the last quarter. ARQ Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 4.5% during the first quarter. ARQ Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 785 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $452,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. JMG Financial Group Ltd. bought a new stake in Meta Platforms during the first quarter worth $284,000. Infusive Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Meta Platforms by 10.7% during the first quarter. Infusive Asset Management Inc. now owns 23,620 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $13,614,000 after acquiring an additional 2,285 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Spirepoint Private Client LLC grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 2.7% during the second quarter. Spirepoint Private Client LLC now owns 4,080 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $3,011,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Meta Platforms news, CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold 15,847 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $787.06, for a total value of $12,472,539.82. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 18,332 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $764.71, for a total value of $14,018,663.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 84,141 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $64,343,464.11. This trade represents a 17.89% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 91,126 shares of company stock valued at $70,145,792. 13.61% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of Meta Platforms stock opened at $635.95 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $731.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $700.72. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a one year low of $479.80 and a one year high of $796.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.98 and a quick ratio of 1.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.60 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.09, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.20.

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

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. Meta Platforms’s payout ratio is presently 9.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on META shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Meta Platforms from $837.00 to $802.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Bank of America reduced their target price on Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $810.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $925.00 to $815.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Roth Capital reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on Meta Platforms from $810.00 to $770.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-seven have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Meta Platforms currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $827.60.

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.