Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) Holdings Boosted by Motley Fool Asset Management LLC

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 14.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 91,725 shares of the social networking company's stock after acquiring an additional 11,683 shares during the period. Meta Platforms comprises 2.8% of Motley Fool Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC's holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $53,706,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. JDM Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Meta Platforms during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Meta Platforms during the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Avondale Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Meta Platforms during the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, WealthTrak Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Meta Platforms in the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Meta Platforms Stock Performance

Shares of Meta Platforms stock traded down $26.89 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $504.73. 38,506,424 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 14,475,943. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a one year low of $414.50 and a one year high of $740.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.28 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a quick ratio of 2.98, a current ratio of 2.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $651.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $609.95.

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Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The social networking company reported $8.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.75 by $1.27. Meta Platforms had a net margin of 37.91% and a return on equity of 38.17%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $5.33 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Meta Platforms Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.42%. This is a positive change from Meta Platforms's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio is 8.78%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Susquehanna upped their target price on Meta Platforms from $675.00 to $800.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Meta Platforms from $680.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Meta Platforms from $600.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Meta Platforms from $670.00 to $775.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Meta Platforms from $700.00 to $770.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, thirty-five have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $718.55.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Susan J. Li sold 8,553 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Saturday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $736.67, for a total transaction of $6,300,738.51. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 51,793 shares in the company, valued at approximately $38,154,349.31. The trade was a 14.17 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Javier Olivan sold 608 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $563.03, for a total transaction of $342,322.24. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 6,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,507,676.90. The trade was a 8.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 549,113 shares of company stock valued at $364,668,246. 13.71% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Meta Platforms 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.