Aberdeen Group plc Increases Stock Position in Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX)

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group plc significantly increased its ownership in Netflix by purchasing an additional 135,628 shares, raising their stake by 74.9% to a total of 316,695 shares, making Netflix their 22nd largest investment.
• Analysts have generally rated Netflix positively, with multiple upgrades to price targets, including Oppenheimer raising it to $1,425, and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" across various brokerages.
• Netflix's stock showed resilience, with shares up 2.2%, reporting $7.19 EPS for the last quarter, indicating a 15.9% revenue growth compared to the same period last year.

Aberdeen Group plc raised its holdings in Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX - Free Report) by 74.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 316,695 shares of the Internet television network's stock after acquiring an additional 135,628 shares during the period. Netflix accounts for about 0.6% of Aberdeen Group plc's holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Aberdeen Group plc owned 0.07% of Netflix worth $291,771,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Netflix by 109,524.3% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,835,722 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $8,239,576,000 after buying an additional 8,827,662 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Netflix during the first quarter worth about $2,385,585,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in Netflix by 57.3% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 3,393,064 shares of the Internet television network's stock worth $3,164,134,000 after acquiring an additional 1,236,251 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of Netflix by 14.3% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 4,574,006 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $4,076,903,000 after purchasing an additional 570,674 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Netflix by 1.4% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 37,997,260 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $35,433,585,000 after purchasing an additional 509,255 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NFLX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays reiterated a "sell" rating and set a $1,100.00 price objective (up previously from $1,000.00) on shares of Netflix in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Netflix from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Benchmark reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Netflix in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Netflix from $1,300.00 to $1,500.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Moffett Nathanson restated a "buy" rating and set a $1,150.00 price target (up previously from $1,100.00) on shares of Netflix in a report on Friday, April 18th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, twenty-two have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $1,297.66.

Netflix Price Performance

Shares of Netflix stock traded up $8.39 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $1,238.95. 2,766,194 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,760,348. The stock has a market cap of $526.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.79, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a current ratio of 1.34. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $1,231.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,102.15. Netflix, Inc. has a 12 month low of $660.80 and a 12 month high of $1,341.15.

Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The Internet television network reported $7.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $7.07 by $0.12. Netflix had a net margin of 24.58% and a return on equity of 42.50%. The firm had revenue of $11.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.88 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Netflix, Inc. will post 24.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Gregory K. Peters sold 2,026 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,157.44, for a total value of $2,344,973.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 12,781 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,793,240.64. The trade was a 13.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Spencer Adam Neumann sold 685 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,161.21, for a total transaction of $795,428.85. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 3,691 shares in the company, valued at $4,286,026.11. The trade was a 15.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 146,307 shares of company stock worth $179,443,809. Company insiders own 1.37% of the company's stock.

About Netflix

Netflix, Inc provides entertainment services. It offers TV series, documentaries, feature films, and games across various genres and languages. The company also provides members the ability to receive streaming content through a host of internet-connected devices, including TVs, digital video players, TV set-top boxes, and mobile devices.