Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Bought by Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC

Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 386.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,165 shares of the social networking company’s stock after buying an additional 1,720 shares during the period. Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $1,590,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bare Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 237.5% in the second quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 54 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Briaud Financial Planning Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter valued at about $42,000. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms in the second quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, WFA Asset Management Corp boosted its position in Meta Platforms by 42.6% during the second quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 67 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 517 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction on Monday, January 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $653.00, for a total value of $337,601.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 11,166 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,291,398. The trade was a 4.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $646.00, for a total transaction of $374,680.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 6,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,983,882. The trade was a 8.60% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 40,571 shares of company stock valued at $25,137,541. Company insiders own 13.61% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Big‑tech energy partnerships reduce a major execution risk for Meta’s planned AI/data‑center buildout by securing long‑term baseload power and prepayment support — lowers power/capex uncertainty for Meta Compute. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Additional nuclear supply/partner signals (Terrapower reports) similarly bolster Meta’s ability to scale tens/hundreds of gigawatts for AI compute — a strategic enabler for long‑term AI ambitions. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Wikimedia signed deals giving major AI developers access to Wikipedia content (Meta is a partner) — improves training data access and reduces a content‑quality/permission risk for LLM work. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts remain bullish and have reaffirmed/raised targets (e.g., Rosenblatt), supporting upside expectations if Meta’s AI investments translate into ad or device monetization. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta Compute — Zuckerberg’s large new data‑center initiative — clarifies strategy (control over AI compute) but implies materially higher capex and longer payback; investors will watch execution and FCF impact. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming quarterly results (Q4 & full‑year 2025) are set for Jan. 28 — a near‑term catalyst that could confirm ad momentum or quantify 2026 capex guidance. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Reality Labs cuts (~1,500 jobs, ~10% of the division) signal a pullback from metaverse projects; saves costs but raises execution and product risk for VR/metaverse roadmaps and could weigh on sentiment. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts trimmed targets and issued pessimistic forecasts citing very large 2026 capex and falling free cash flow — creating pressure and increased volatility ahead of results. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by COO Javier Oliván (recent small, repeated sales disclosed) can amplify short‑term selling narratives even if transactions are routine. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing regulatory/legal matters (e.g., WhatsApp appeals, global scrutiny) remain background risks that could add costs or limit product rollouts in key markets. Read More.

Meta Platforms Price Performance

NASDAQ:META opened at $620.80 on Friday. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 52 week low of $479.80 and a 52 week high of $796.25. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $641.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $701.04. The company has a market capitalization of $1.56 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.29. 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 (NASDAQ:META) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The social networking company reported $7.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.74 by $0.51. The business 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 was up 26.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.03 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Citizens Jmp reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $900.00 price objective (up previously from $750.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Monday, November 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on Meta Platforms from $840.00 to $810.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Meta Platforms from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 1st. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted 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. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $1,117.00 target price on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Wednesday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $822.96.

Meta Platforms Company 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.