LaSalle St. Investment Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in Netflix, Inc. $NFLX

LaSalle St. Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund acquired 10,088 shares of the Internet television network’s stock, valued at approximately $720,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Netflix by 912.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 390,014,981 shares of the Internet television network’s stock valued at $36,567,805,000 after purchasing an additional 351,493,659 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Netflix during the 2nd quarter worth about $24,902,221,000. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Netflix by 927.6% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 176,780,995 shares of the Internet television network’s stock valued at $16,574,986,000 after buying an additional 159,578,053 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Netflix by 892.0% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 99,598,678 shares of the Internet television network’s stock valued at $9,305,336,000 after buying an additional 89,558,684 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors lifted its holdings in shares of Netflix by 859.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 89,341,444 shares of the Internet television network’s stock valued at $8,376,656,000 after buying an additional 80,025,890 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Richard N. Barton sold 2,160 shares of Netflix stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.10, for a total transaction of $162,216.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 246 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,474.60. This trade represents a 89.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Gregory K. Peters sold 27,312 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.54, for a total value of $2,008,524.48. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 120,931 shares in the company, valued at $8,893,265.74. This trade represents a 18.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 600,295 shares of company stock valued at $49,056,671. Insiders own 1.24% of the company’s stock.

Netflix Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of Netflix stock opened at $80.14 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $74.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $84.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $333.70 billion, a PE ratio of 25.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.52. Netflix, Inc. has a twelve month low of $65.08 and a twelve month high of $126.71.

Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) last issued 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 return on equity of 40.02% and a net margin of 28.22%.The firm had revenue of $12.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.72 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Netflix, Inc. will post 3.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Key Netflix News

Here are the key news stories impacting Netflix this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square rebuilt a major position. The investment firm’s purchase, despite previously taking a reported $400 million loss on Netflix, signals confidence in the company’s long-term growth, competitive position and leadership. The disclosure helped support a recent increase in NFLX shares. Netflix Moved, What Is Drawing Attention Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts see advertising as a significant growth opportunity. Netflix is expanding its ad-supported business through live programming, new ad technology and additional tools for marketers. The company is targeting substantial future advertising revenue, which could diversify its sales base and support continued revenue expansion. NFLX’s Ad Business Focus
• Positive Sentiment: Valuation has become more attractive after the selloff. Netflix trades at roughly 21 times forward earnings in the cited analysis, a level viewed as more reasonable than during prior periods of comparable declines. A CNBC contributor also recommended Netflix, reinforcing the bullish case among some investors. Netflix Trades at 21 Times Forward Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Co-founder Reed Hastings discussed Netflix’s performance-focused culture. Hastings said companies should operate as teams rather than families, making workforce reductions easier when employees do not meet expectations. The comments revisit Netflix’s 2001 layoffs but do not represent a new operating announcement. Reed Hastings Says Companies Aren’t Families
• Negative Sentiment: YouTube is reportedly trying to prevent creators from signing with Netflix. YouTube is offering creators millions of dollars and warning that simultaneous Netflix deals could jeopardize marketing support and brand-campaign revenue. This could raise Netflix’s content-acquisition costs and make it harder to secure popular creator-led programming. YouTube Offers Creators Millions to Avoid Netflix Deals
• Negative Sentiment: Netflix faces a lawsuit from the band Demon Hunter. The group alleges that Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters infringes its rights. The case creates legal and reputational risk, although the financial impact is currently unclear. Netflix Sued by Band Demon Hunter

Analyst Ratings Changes

NFLX has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company set a $80.00 target price on Netflix and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Daiwa Securities Group lifted their price target on Netflix from $97.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Citic Securities boosted their price target on Netflix from $95.00 to $107.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Netflix in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Netflix from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-three have given a Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.48.

About Netflix

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.