Meta Platforms, Inc. $META is Cercano Management LLC’s 7th Largest Position

Cercano Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 29.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 132,289 shares of the social networking company’s stock after selling 56,182 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises 3.7% of Cercano Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Cercano Management LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $97,150,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in META. Bare Financial Services Inc bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the second quarter worth $30,000. Briaud Financial Planning Inc purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth $42,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the 2nd quarter valued at about $44,000. WFA Asset Management Corp grew its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 42.6% during the second quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 67 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Spurstone Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Meta Platforms in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $59,000. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Susan J. Li sold 18,789 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $650.00, for a total transaction of $12,212,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 68,888 shares in the company, valued at $44,777,200. This trade represents a 21.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert M. Kimmitt sold 580 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $639.18, for a total transaction of $370,724.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 5,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,200,374.26. This trade represents a 10.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 46,580 shares of company stock valued at $30,048,498 in the last three months. 13.61% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

META has been the subject of a number of research reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Meta Platforms from $710.00 to $730.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Wedbush increased their price objective on shares of Meta Platforms from $880.00 to $900.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Roth Mkm reduced their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $800.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 26th. Pivotal Research decreased their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $930.00 to $910.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Meta Platforms from $815.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Meta Platforms currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $844.44.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Big AI chip deal with AMD: Meta agreed to a multiyear supply/partnership to deploy up to ~6 GW of AMD AI GPUs and could purchase as much as 10% of AMD, representing billions in committed chip spend that diversifies Meta’s supplier base and validates its large-scale AI buildout. VIEW AMD secures Meta as next big AI chip customer
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder return: Meta declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.525 per share, payable March 26, which supports total-return investors and can help underpin the stock during AI‑capex cycles. Meta (META) Strengthens Investor Appeal With Dividend Payout
• Neutral Sentiment: Stablecoin/payments push: Multiple reports say Meta is preparing to re-enter payments with stablecoin integration across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp potentially in H2 2026 — a longer‑term monetization opportunity but subject to partner deals and regulatory scrutiny. Meta Hopes to Launch Stablecoin Payments Project This Year
• Neutral Sentiment: Renewable power deal: Meta signed a long-term offtake for an 80 MW solar project in Pennsylvania to support US data‑center operations — positive for operations/ESG but limited immediate financial impact. MN8 Energy Supports Meta’s U.S. Data Center Operations
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment: Consensus analyst coverage remains positive-to-cautious (consensus “Moderate Buy”), suggesting Wall Street sees upside tied to AI execution but also recognizes valuation and capex risks. Meta Platforms Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy”
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale: CFO Susan J. Li sold 18,789 shares (~$12.2M at ~$650 average), lowering her stake ~21%; insider sales can raise concern about executive conviction despite routine explanations. SEC filing: Susan J. Li sale
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/reputational risk: Court filings show internal warnings that planned end‑to‑end encryption could impede reporting of child‑exploitation cases, heightening regulatory and litigation risk that could create headlines and potential compliance costs. Meta executive warned Facebook Messenger encryption plan was ‘so irresponsible’

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Meta Platforms stock opened at $639.30 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.60 and a quick ratio of 2.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.62 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.28. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1-year low of $479.80 and a 1-year high of $796.25. The company’s 50-day moving average is $656.11 and its 200 day moving average is $687.24.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.16 by $0.72. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 38.61% and a net margin of 30.08%.The firm had revenue of $59.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $58.33 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $8.02 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 23.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 EPS for the current year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be given a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio is 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.