Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) Shares Sold by Syon Capital LLC

Syon Capital LLC lowered its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 4.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 21,294 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 1,051 shares during the quarter. Meta Platforms comprises about 1.1% of Syon Capital LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. Syon Capital LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $12,468,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Seelaus Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Meta Platforms by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Seelaus Asset Management LLC now owns 1,640 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $960,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Meredith Wealth Planning grew its holdings in Meta Platforms by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Meredith Wealth Planning now owns 1,873 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $1,097,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Maiden Cove Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Meta Platforms by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Maiden Cove Capital LLC now owns 481 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $282,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Meta Platforms by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC now owns 572 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $335,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. Finally, Stephens Consulting LLC boosted its position in shares of Meta Platforms by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 317 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $186,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.91% of the company's stock.

Meta Platforms Stock Up 2.6 %

Shares of META stock traded up $14.12 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $547.27. 17,064,639 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 14,447,709. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 2.98 and a current ratio of 2.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.39 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.28. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a one year low of $427.11 and a one year high of $740.91. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $587.00 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $604.44.

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The social networking company reported $8.02 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.75 by $1.27. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 38.17% and a net margin of 37.91%. During the same period last year, the business posted $5.33 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.38%. This is a boost from Meta Platforms's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio is 8.78%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed an "underperform" rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a research report on Wednesday. Raymond James restated a "strong-buy" rating and set a $800.00 price objective (up from $725.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Argus set a $775.00 target price on Meta Platforms in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Meta Platforms from $700.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Arete Research upgraded Meta Platforms to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, thirty-six have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $676.55.

Insider Transactions at Meta Platforms

In other Meta Platforms news, CFO Susan J. Li sold 8,553 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Saturday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $736.67, for a total value of $6,300,738.51. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 51,793 shares in the company, valued at approximately $38,154,349.31. This trade represents a 14.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Jennifer Newstead sold 921 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $491.87, for a total transaction of $453,012.27. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 27,498 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,525,441.26. This represents a 3.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 308,068 shares of company stock worth $214,968,924. 13.71% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Meta Platforms Company 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.