Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Netflix, Inc. $NFLX

Key Points

• Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. increased its Netflix stake by 917.7% in the fourth quarter, ending with 57,650 shares worth about $5.4 million.
• Other major institutions also sharply boosted their Netflix holdings, including Vanguard, Baillie Gifford, and Jennison Associates, with institutional investors now owning 80.93% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive despite some caution: Netflix has a Moderate Buy consensus rating, while recent insider sales by the CEO and CFO may weigh on investor sentiment.

Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX - Free Report) by 917.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 57,650 shares of the Internet television network's stock after purchasing an additional 51,985 shares during the quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.'s holdings in Netflix were worth $5,405,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Netflix by 912.5% in 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 acquiring an additional 351,493,659 shares in the last quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. increased its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 33,290,988 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its stake in shares of Netflix by 639.9% in the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 34,871,951 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $3,269,594,000 after purchasing an additional 30,158,900 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $1,134,487,000 after purchasing an additional 10,879,276 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $1,018,062,000 after purchasing an additional 9,716,017 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Netflix

Here are the key news stories impacting Netflix this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong early reviews for Netflix’s new drama Remarkably Bright Creatures suggest a programming win that could help engagement and subscriber retention. Remarkably Bright Creatures Review
• Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst commentary remains constructive, with several firms maintaining or raising price targets and broader coverage still pointing to a “Moderate Buy” view. Netflix, Pulte, and Mobileye Are Buying Their Own Dips—Should You?
• Neutral Sentiment: Warner Bros. Discovery’s large quarterly loss included a $2.8 billion Netflix-related termination fee, but this is primarily an M&A accounting item for WBD rather than a direct operating signal for Netflix. WBD Logs $2.92B Loss
• Neutral Sentiment: Jim Cramer said Netflix is “not a buy, buy, buy,” reflecting caution around competition in streaming, but it was more of a valuation/positioning comment than a formal downgrade. Jim Cramer on Netflix
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Gregory K. Peters sold 27,312 shares and CFO Spencer Adam Neumann sold 9,253 shares on May 7, adding to recent insider selling and likely weighing on investor sentiment. Netflix Insider Selling
• Negative Sentiment: Technical and trading commentary points to continued weakness after the recent pullback, with the stock still below key moving averages and some investors questioning near-term upside. Is It Time To Reassess Netflix?

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NFLX has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Freedom Capital upgraded Netflix from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Argus lowered their target price on Netflix from $141.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. TD Cowen cut their target price on Netflix from $115.00 to $112.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Bank of America cut their target price on Netflix from $149.00 to $125.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Citizens Jmp reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Netflix in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have assigned a Buy rating and fifteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $114.82.

Netflix Stock Performance

NASDAQ NFLX opened at $87.45 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The business's 50 day moving average is $95.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $95.92. Netflix, Inc. has a 12-month low of $75.01 and a 12-month high of $134.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $368.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.25, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.55.

Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The Internet television network reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.76 by $0.47. Netflix had a return on equity of 40.92% and a net margin of 28.52%.The company had revenue of $12.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $12.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.61 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue 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 year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Spencer Adam Neumann sold 9,253 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.95, for a total value of $823,054.35. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 73,787 shares in the company, valued at $6,563,353.65. This represents a 11.14% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Theodore A. Sarandos sold 27,312 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.97, for a total value of $2,402,636.64. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 284,804 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,054,207.88. This trade represents a 8.75% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,458,944 shares of company stock worth $138,141,007. 1.37% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.

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