Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Shares Purchased by Barings LLC

Barings LLC grew its position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) by 99.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,804 shares of the social networking company’s stock after buying an additional 1,401 shares during the period. Barings LLC’s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $2,059,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Siligmueller & Norvid Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Meta Platforms by 179.1% in the 3rd quarter. Siligmueller & Norvid Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,080 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $797,000 after purchasing an additional 693 shares during the last quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC increased its holdings in Meta Platforms by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 6,156 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $4,521,000 after purchasing an additional 328 shares during the period. Stevens Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the third quarter worth approximately $6,551,000. Darden Wealth Group Inc increased its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Darden Wealth Group Inc now owns 2,982 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $2,190,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Meta Platforms by 21.1% in the third quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 27,618 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $20,282,000 after buying an additional 4,803 shares during the last quarter. 79.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Meta Platforms News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Major AMD GPU agreement strengthens Meta’s AI scale and supplier diversification, supporting long‑term ad/AI monetization potential even as it implies higher capital spending. META Taps AMD GPUs
• Positive Sentiment: Report that Meta will rent Google TPUs to accelerate model development gives the company faster access to compute and reduces dependence on any single vendor, aiding short‑term AI progress. Google signs multibillion-dollar AI chip deal with Meta
• Positive Sentiment: Meta’s quarterly cash dividend ($0.525/share) adds a modest income component and can help stabilize the stock amid a heavy AI capex cycle. MarketBeat META overview
• Neutral Sentiment: Meta is reportedly planning a stablecoin/payments pilot in H2 2026 — a long‑term monetization opportunity that could boost creator payouts and cross‑border settlement, but timing, partners and regulation remain key uncertainties. CoinDesk: Meta stablecoin plans
• Neutral Sentiment: Short interest in META declined meaningfully in February, reducing a potential downside crowd and making rallies easier to sustain (short‑covering risk lower).
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: CFO Susan Li reported large share sales (most recently disclosed Feb. 24 filing), and COO Javier Olivan sold shares — routine but can be interpreted negatively by some investors. SEC filing: Susan J. Li sale
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing litigation and regulatory scrutiny — high‑profile U.S. trial over alleged social‑media harm and EU antitrust disputes — keep headline risk and potential compliance costs elevated. Reuters: social‑media trial Reuters: EU court adviser on antitrust
• Negative Sentiment: AI talent movement (e.g., OpenAI hiring a Meta researcher) and high ongoing capex projections (guidance points to elevated 2026 spending) are reminders that competition for talent and costly infrastructure could pressure margins before long‑term gains materialize. Reuters: OpenAI hires Meta researcher

Insider Activity

In other Meta Platforms news, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 8,089 shares of Meta Platforms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $631.24, for a total value of $5,106,100.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 2,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,793,352.84. The trade was a 74.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 55,702 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $633.61, for a total value of $35,293,344.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 13,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,354,781.46. This trade represents a 80.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 103,837 shares of company stock valued at $66,356,760 over the last quarter. 13.61% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Meta Platforms from $750.00 to $825.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on Meta Platforms in a research report on Monday, November 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $800.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Meta Platforms from $910.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Roth Mkm lowered their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $850.00 to $800.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $844.44.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of META opened at $657.01 on Friday. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $479.80 and a 52-week high of $796.25. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $656.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $686.79. The company has a market capitalization of $1.66 trillion, a PE ratio of 27.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.28.

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

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. Meta Platforms’s dividend payout ratio is 8.94%.

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.