Smith Group Asset Management LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Netflix, Inc. $NFLX

Smith Group Asset Management LLC grew its position in Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) by 7.4% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 432,263 shares of the Internet television network’s stock after acquiring an additional 29,906 shares during the period. Netflix makes up 2.1% of Smith Group Asset Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Smith Group Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Netflix were worth $41,562,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of NFLX. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Netflix by 912.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 390,014,981 shares of the Internet television network’s stock valued at $36,567,805,000 after acquiring an additional 351,493,659 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Netflix by 927.6% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 176,780,995 shares of the Internet television network’s stock worth $16,574,986,000 after purchasing an additional 159,578,053 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Netflix by 892.0% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 99,598,678 shares of the Internet television network’s stock worth $9,305,336,000 after purchasing an additional 89,558,684 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its stake in shares of Netflix by 859.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 89,341,444 shares of the Internet television network’s stock valued at $8,376,656,000 after purchasing an additional 80,025,890 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in shares of Netflix by 685.8% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 86,058,878 shares of the Internet television network’s stock valued at $8,068,882,000 after purchasing an additional 75,107,069 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Netflix Stock Up 2.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:NFLX opened at $72.39 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $77.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $85.74. The stock has a market cap of $301.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.52. Netflix, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $65.08 and a fifty-two week high of $126.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The Internet television network reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.01. Netflix had a net margin of 28.22% and a return on equity of 40.02%. The company had revenue of $12.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.72 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 13.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Netflix, Inc. will post 3.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Netflix

In other news, insider David A. Hyman sold 5,722 shares of Netflix stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.08, for a total transaction of $503,993.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 316,100 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,842,088. The trade was a 1.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Spencer Adam Neumann sold 9,253 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.95, for a total transaction of $823,054.35. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 73,787 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,563,353.65. The trade was a 11.14% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 899,839 shares of company stock worth $80,141,661. 1.24% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NFLX has been the topic of several recent research reports. DZ Bank reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Netflix in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 price target on shares of Netflix in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Netflix from $128.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Wedbush dropped their price target on shares of Netflix from $118.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Netflix in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-three have issued a Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Netflix has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $103.48.

Key Netflix News

Here are the key news stories impacting Netflix this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Canada’s government appears poised to scrap an entertainment levy affecting companies including Netflix, potentially removing a regulatory cost and easing tensions with U.S. officials and Hollywood studios. Netflix Tax Will Soon Be Scrapped, Canada Hints in Court Filing
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts and commentators view the roughly 25% decline from recent levels—and more than 40% drop from the highs—as excessive, arguing that Netflix is now valued more attractively relative to its history. They cite strong profitability, share buybacks, advertising growth and potential AI-related advantages as reasons the stock could recover. Netflix Is Betting Billions That AI Will Strengthen Its Business
• Positive Sentiment: Options activity and investor commentary indicate that bullish traders are still positioning for a rebound after the earnings-driven decline, suggesting the selloff has attracted dip buyers. Call Traders Aren’t Giving Up on Netflix Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Former LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault said he regrets selling his early Netflix investment too soon. The comments reinforce Netflix’s long-term wealth-creation history but are unlikely to affect near-term fundamentals. Bernard Arnault Regrets Selling His Early Netflix Stake
• Negative Sentiment: The primary overhang remains disappointing third-quarter guidance, which overshadowed an otherwise solid second-quarter report and contributed to the sharp post-earnings selloff. Analysts also caution that Netflix has fewer obvious avenues to accelerate earnings growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Altimetry argues Netflix may still not be cheap because its valuation assumes sustained high profitability and continued growth despite intensifying competition from Disney, Paramount Skydance, YouTube, short-form video and AI-generated content. 3 Stocks Standing Out and 2 Losing Momentum

Netflix Profile

Netflix, Inc (NASDAQ: NFLX) is a global entertainment company that provides subscription-based streaming of films, television series, documentaries and other video content. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph and headquartered in Los Gatos, California, the company began as a DVD-by-mail rental service and introduced streaming video in 2007. Netflix later expanded into producing and distributing original programming, beginning notable original hits in the 2010s, and now operates a content production and distribution ecosystem alongside its licensing activity.

The company’s primary product is its on-demand streaming service, which can be accessed on a wide range of internet-connected devices and delivered through a suite of apps and web platforms.