Banco Santander S.A. Acquires 767,970 Shares of Netflix, Inc. $NFLX

Key Points

• Banco Santander S.A. dramatically increased its Netflix stake by 1,152.2% in the fourth quarter, buying 767,970 shares and bringing its total holding to 834,620 shares worth about $78.3 million.
• Netflix continues to attract heavy institutional interest, with hedge funds and other investors owning 80.93% of the stock, while firms like Vanguard and several others also added shares during the period.
• Despite recent stock weakness, Netflix posted a strong quarter with EPS of $1.23 versus $0.76 expected and revenue of $12.25 billion, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus target price of $114.39.

Banco Santander S.A. raised its position in shares of Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX - Free Report) by 1,152.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 834,620 shares of the Internet television network's stock after buying an additional 767,970 shares during the period. Netflix comprises about 0.6% of Banco Santander S.A.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Banco Santander S.A.'s holdings in Netflix were worth $78,254,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Netflix by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,521,322 shares of the Internet television network's stock worth $46,183,983,000 after acquiring an additional 142,238 shares in the last quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC increased its stake in shares of Netflix by 875.7% in the 4th quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 31,143 shares of the Internet television network's stock worth $2,920,000 after acquiring an additional 27,951 shares in the last quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Netflix by 837.2% in the 4th quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 111,380 shares of the Internet television network's stock worth $10,443,000 after acquiring an additional 99,496 shares in the last quarter. BNC Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Netflix by 991.3% in the 4th quarter. BNC Wealth Management LLC now owns 41,229 shares of the Internet television network's stock worth $3,866,000 after acquiring an additional 37,451 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crew Capital Management Ltd increased its stake in Netflix by 1,021.9% during the 4th quarter. Crew Capital Management Ltd now owns 9,031 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $847,000 after purchasing an additional 8,226 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Netflix Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NFLX opened at $80.34 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.41. Netflix, Inc. has a 1-year low of $75.01 and a 1-year high of $134.12. The company has a market capitalization of $338.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.50. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $90.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $91.11.

Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The Internet television network reported $1.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.47. Netflix had a net margin of 28.52% and a return on equity of 40.92%. The business had revenue of $12.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $6.61 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.2% on a year-over-year basis. Netflix has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.780-0.780 EPS. Research analysts expect that Netflix, Inc. will post 3.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Netflix

In other Netflix news, CFO Spencer Adam Neumann sold 28,630 shares of Netflix stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.00, for a total transaction of $2,805,740.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 73,787 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,231,126. The trade was a 27.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Reed Hastings sold 420,550 shares of Netflix stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.49, for a total transaction of $40,158,319.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 3,940 shares in the company, valued at $376,230.60. This represents a 99.07% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 1,313,029 shares of company stock valued at $120,315,776. 1.24% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on NFLX. President Capital raised their price objective on shares of Netflix from $133.00 to $134.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Netflix in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. They set a "market perform" rating for the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Netflix from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. DZ Bank restated a "buy" rating on shares of Netflix in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Moffett Nathanson raised their price objective on shares of Netflix from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have issued a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Netflix currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $114.39.

Key Stories Impacting Netflix

Here are the key news stories impacting Netflix this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer said, “I want to buy Netflix,” which can reinforce the view that the recent weakness is a buying opportunity rather than a sign of deteriorating fundamentals. Jim Cramer Says “I Want to Buy Netflix”
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst-focused articles noted that Netflix has fallen sharply since its last earnings report, but Wall Street still sees meaningful upside, suggesting valuation support if growth reaccelerates. Here’s What Dragging Netflix (NFLX) Down
• Positive Sentiment: Omdia forecast Netflix could approach 400 million subscribers by 2031, reinforcing the company’s long-term leadership in global streaming and supporting the bull case for future revenue growth. Omdia: Netflix to Reach 400 Million Subscribers by 2031
• Positive Sentiment: Netflix’s new FIFA gaming partnership adds another engagement lever, which could help reduce churn and strengthen subscriber retention over time. FIFA Deal Tests How Netflix Uses Games To Deepen Subscriber Engagement
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary that Netflix remains a “high-quality compounder back on sale” reflects a favorable long-term view, but it does not add a new near-term catalyst. Netflix: A High-Quality Compounder Back On Sale
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple articles framed Netflix as one of the better long-term stock ideas in the media space, but these are mostly opinion pieces rather than hard business updates. Netflix (NFLX): 10 Best Stocks to Buy Now For Next 3 Months
• Negative Sentiment: A price-target cut due to a lack of fresh catalysts points to investor concern that Netflix may need a clearer near-term driver to regain momentum. Netflix Stock Gets Price-Target Cut On Lack Of Catalysts
• Negative Sentiment: The proposed Paramount Skydance/Warner Bros. Discovery deal could create a larger streaming competitor, which is one reason Netflix publicly opposed the transaction. DOJ Clears Paramount Skydance’s $110 Billion Warner Bros. Discovery Acquisition Without Conditions

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.

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