Bessemer Group Inc. Acquires 1,159,091 Shares of Netflix, Inc. $NFLX

Key Points

• Bessemer Group Inc. sharply increased its Netflix stake in Q4, boosting holdings by 772% to 1.31 million shares worth about $122.8 million.
• Other major institutions also piled into Netflix, with firms like Vanguard, Baillie Gifford, and Jennison significantly increasing positions, highlighting strong institutional confidence in the stock.
• Netflix continues to get support from positive catalysts such as analyst upgrades, expanded NFL streaming rights, and new live/event programming, while the company also beat earnings estimates in its latest quarter.

Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX - Free Report) by 772.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,309,233 shares of the Internet television network's stock after acquiring an additional 1,159,091 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc.'s holdings in Netflix were worth $122,754,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings 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 worth $36,567,805,000 after buying an additional 351,493,659 shares during the period. Baillie Gifford & Co. boosted its holdings in Netflix by 912.3% in the 4th quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 36,940,035 shares of the Internet television network's stock worth $3,463,498,000 after buying an additional 33,290,988 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its holdings in Netflix by 639.9% in the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 34,871,951 shares of the Internet television network's stock worth $3,269,594,000 after buying an additional 30,158,900 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Netflix by 891.3% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 12,099,908 shares of the Internet television network's stock worth $1,134,487,000 after buying an additional 10,879,276 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Netflix by 850.7% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 10,858,157 shares of the Internet television network's stock worth $1,018,062,000 after buying an additional 9,716,017 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Netflix

Here are the key news stories impacting Netflix this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts reaffirmed bullish ratings and targets, citing Netflix’s expanding ad tier, strong engagement, and improving monetization outlook.
• Positive Sentiment: Netflix extended its relationship with the NFL and will stream more games, adding another high-profile live content driver that could help attract viewers and advertisers.
• Positive Sentiment: Netflix is also building out event-based programming, including its first live MMA card and a concert tour tied to KPop Demon Hunters, which reinforces its push beyond traditional streaming.

Netflix Stock Up 0.1%

NFLX opened at $87.02 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $94.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $94.78. Netflix, Inc. has a 52 week low of $75.01 and a 52 week high of $134.12. The company has a market capitalization of $366.42 billion, a PE ratio of 28.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The Internet television network reported $1.23 EPS 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $6.61 EPS. The business's revenue was up 16.2% on a year-over-year basis. Netflix has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.780-0.780 EPS. Analysts forecast that Netflix, Inc. will post 3.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on NFLX shares. UBS Group set a $104.00 target price on shares of Netflix in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Citic Securities upped their target price on shares of Netflix from $95.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of Netflix in a report on Friday. Daiwa Securities Group upped their target price on shares of Netflix from $97.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Huber Research raised shares of Netflix from a "strong sell" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have assigned a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $114.82.

Insider Buying and Selling at Netflix

In other news, CEO Theodore A. Sarandos sold 27,312 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.97, for a total transaction of $2,402,636.64. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 284,804 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,054,207.88. This represents a 8.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider David A. Hyman sold 5,722 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.08, for a total transaction of $503,993.76. Following the sale, the insider owned 316,100 shares in the company, valued at $27,842,088. This represents a 1.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 1,422,769 shares of company stock worth $135,144,073. Insiders own 1.37% of the company's stock.

Netflix Company 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.

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.