7,213 Shares in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META Acquired by Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC

Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 7,213 shares of the social networking company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,290,000. Meta Platforms comprises about 3.1% of Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. FreeGulliver LLC boosted its holdings in Meta Platforms by 258.2% in the third quarter. FreeGulliver LLC now owns 2,063 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $1,515,000 after acquiring an additional 1,487 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC raised its holdings in Meta Platforms by 148.3% during the 3rd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 86,971 shares of the social networking company’s stock worth $63,870,000 after purchasing an additional 51,948 shares during the last quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 264,996 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $194,608,000 after purchasing an additional 12,297 shares during the period. Pacific Sun Financial Corp boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Pacific Sun Financial Corp now owns 3,298 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $2,422,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Banco BTG Pactual S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 28.2% in the 3rd quarter. Banco BTG Pactual S.A. now owns 59,215 shares of the social networking company’s stock valued at $43,486,000 after purchasing an additional 13,022 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.91% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Meta is rolling out new Meta AI features for Facebook Marketplace (automated listing creation and pricing) that help monetize its ads/commerce funnel and show ongoing productization of AI. Meta AI Writes Listings and Sets Prices for Facebook Marketplace Sellers
• Positive Sentiment: Meta outlined an aggressive in‑house chip roadmap (MTIA series) focused on generative AI inference — this could lower long‑term inference costs and improve margins if deployed at scale. Meta Chip Roadmap Puts AI Inference And Costs In Sharper Focus
• Positive Sentiment: Several bullish takeaways: fund managers cite Meta’s cost discipline and scale as advantages, and some analysts/notes argue the stock is attractively valued among large cap AI beneficiaries. These views provide a counterweight to short‑term AI execution concerns. Cuggino likes Meta for cost discipline
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider selling: COO Javier Olivan disclosed sales in early March (files show multiple transactions). Sizeable insider sales can draw attention but don’t necessarily signal company fundamentals. SEC filing – Olivan insider sale
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory scrutiny continues in the U.K. around child safety on platforms — a recurring policy risk that can affect product rollouts and compliance costs but is broadly anticipated by investors. UK watchdogs press Meta to block children
• Negative Sentiment: Avocado delay: Multiple outlets report Meta pushed the Avocado launch from this month to at least May after performance concerns, prompting investor worry about missed timelines and competitive positioning vs. Google/OpenAI. Meta Delays Rollout of New A.I. Model After Performance Concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction & scrutiny: Reports highlight that the delay increases scrutiny of Meta’s multibillion‑dollar AI investments and raises the risk of competitors pulling ahead, pressuring sentiment and the stock near term. Meta delays rollout of new AI model, NYT reports
• Negative Sentiment: Additional coverage frames the pause as a potential strategic cost — analysts and commentary ask whether Meta can afford to wait while rivals sprint ahead, amplifying short‑term downside risk. Avocado on Ice: Can Meta Afford to Pause?

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Javier Olivan sold 2,461 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Sunday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $639.77, for a total transaction of $1,574,473.97. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 12,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,746,335.16. This represents a 16.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Susan J. Li sold 56,571 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $644.70, for a total value of $36,471,323.70. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 161,446 shares of company stock worth $103,451,688. Corporate insiders own 13.61% of the company’s stock.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of Meta Platforms stock opened at $613.71 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $653.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $677.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.55 trillion, a P/E ratio of 26.12, a P/E/G ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.30. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $479.80 and a fifty-two week high of $796.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 2.60 and a quick ratio of 2.60.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The social networking company reported $8.88 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.16 by $0.72. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 30.08% and a return on equity of 38.61%. The company had revenue of $59.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $58.33 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $8.02 earnings per share. Meta Platforms’s revenue was up 23.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on META shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $860.00 price objective (up from $750.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $685.00 to $700.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Citizens Jmp reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $900.00 price target (up from $750.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $850.00 price target (up from $800.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Arete Research restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $844.44.

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.