<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Ashford Capital Management Inc. lessened its holdings in  Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META - Free Report) by 28.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities &amp; Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,005 shares of the social networking company's stock after selling 2,353 shares during the period. Ashford Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Meta Platforms were worth $4,432,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.</p><ul><li>Beyond the Magnificent 7: Meet 3 of Tech’s Rising Stars</li></ul><p>Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in META. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of  Meta Platforms by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 34,551 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $20,230,000 after buying an additional 570 shares in the last quarter.  Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in  Meta Platforms by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,456 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $5,537,000 after acquiring an additional 875 shares during the period.  Aspire Growth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in  Meta Platforms by 7.3% during the first quarter. Aspire Growth Partners LLC now owns 662 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $395,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter.  Waddell &amp; Associates LLC lifted its holdings in  Meta Platforms by 5.0% during the first quarter. Waddell &amp; Associates LLC now owns 2,508 shares of the social networking company's stock valued at $1,446,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares in the last quarter.  Finally, Headwater Capital Co Ltd boosted its position in shares of  Meta Platforms by 294.7% in the first quarter. Headwater Capital Co Ltd now owns 150,000 shares of the social networking company's stock worth $86,454,000 after purchasing an additional 112,000 shares during the period. 79.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. </p><div><p><span></span><span>Get <strong>Meta Platforms</strong> alerts:</span></p></div><h2>Meta Platforms Stock Down 1.3%</h2><p>Shares of NASDAQ:META opened at $644.23 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.62 trillion, a PE ratio of 28.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.28. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $665.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $707.24. Meta Platforms, Inc. has a 1 year low of $479.80 and a 1 year high of $796.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.98 and a quick ratio of 1.98. </p><ul><li>Zuckerberg Eyes Metaverse Cuts: Why META Is Rightfully Rallying</li></ul><p>Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The social networking company reported $7.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.74 by $0.51. The firm had revenue of $51.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $49.34 billion. Meta Platforms had a return on equity of 39.35% and a net margin of 30.89%.Meta Platforms's quarterly revenue was up 26.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.03 EPS.  On average, equities analysts predict that  Meta Platforms, Inc. will post 26.7 EPS for the current year. </p><h2>Meta Platforms Dividend Announcement</h2><p>The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th will be paid 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, December 15th. Meta Platforms's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.28%. </p><h2>Analyst Ratings Changes</h2><ul><li>3 Stocks Most Likely to Split in 2026</li></ul><p>A number of research firms recently weighed in on META. Citizens Jmp  restated an &#34;outperform&#34; rating and set a $900.00 target price (up previously from $750.00) on shares of Meta Platforms in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on Meta Platforms from $900.00 to $810.00 and set a &#34;buy&#34; rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Meta Platforms from $950.00 to $910.00 and set a &#34;buy&#34; rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Needham &amp; Company LLC  reissued a &#34;hold&#34; rating on shares of Meta Platforms in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, KeyCorp dropped their price target on Meta Platforms from $905.00 to $875.00 and set an &#34;overweight&#34; rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Four 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company  has a consensus rating of &#34;Moderate Buy&#34; and a consensus price target of $819.46.</p><p><b>Read Our Latest Stock Report on Meta Platforms</b></p><h2>Insider Buying and Selling</h2><p>In related news, COO Javier Olivan sold 2,610 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Saturday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $609.46, for a total value of $1,590,690.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 9,784 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,962,956.64. The trade was a 21.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities &amp; Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CTO Andrew Bosworth sold 11,690 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $593.31, for a total value of $6,935,793.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 2,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,432,843.65. This trade represents a 82.88% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 41,959 shares of company stock worth $26,578,191 over the last ninety days. 13.61% of the stock is owned by insiders. </p><h2>About Meta Platforms</h2> (Free Report)<p>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.</p><h2>Further Reading</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Meta Platforms</li><li>How to Know Which Cryptocurrency to Buy: A Guide for Investors</li><li>Disney's $1 Billion Deal Brings Its Magic to OpenAI</li><li>ETF Screener: Uses and Step-by-Step Guide </li><li>Why Amazon Could Be a $300 Stock Within Weeks</li><li>The 3 Best Fintech Stocks to Buy Now</li><li>Adobe Gets Post-Earnings Lift: Long-Term Outlook Favors Upside</li></ul><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5BU0RBUSZTeW1ib2w9TUVUQQ?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="350" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5BU0RBUSZTeW1ib2w9TUVUQQ"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in Meta Platforms Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider Meta Platforms, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Meta Platforms wasn't on the list.</p><p>While Meta Platforms currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

Ashford Capital Management Inc. Decreases Holdings in Meta Platforms, Inc. $META