Kesler Norman & Wride LLC Increases Position in Netflix, Inc. $NFLX

Key Points

• Kesler Norman & Wride LLC sharply increased its Netflix stake by 3,052.5% in Q4, ending with 88,775 shares valued at about $8.3 million.
• Large institutional investors also added heavily to Netflix, and hedge funds and other institutions now own 80.93% of the company’s stock.
• Despite solid recent earnings and analyst support, Netflix shares have been under pressure; the stock was trading near its 52-week low while insiders, including Reed Hastings, have been selling shares.

Kesler Norman & Wride LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX - Free Report) by 3,052.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 88,775 shares of the Internet television network's stock after acquiring an additional 85,959 shares during the period. Netflix accounts for approximately 1.4% of Kesler Norman & Wride LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC's holdings in Netflix were worth $8,324,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of NFLX. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Netflix by 912.5% during the 4th 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. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 89,558,684 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Netflix during the 4th quarter valued at about $5,803,248,000. Baillie Gifford & Co. grew its stake in Netflix by 912.3% during the 4th quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. now owns 36,940,035 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $3,463,498,000 after acquiring an additional 33,290,988 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC grew its stake in Netflix by 639.9% during 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 acquiring an additional 30,158,900 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Gregory K. Peters sold 27,312 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.69, for a total value of $2,422,301.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 120,931 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,725,370.39. This trade represents a 18.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Reed Hastings sold 386,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.97, for a total transaction of $33,244,599.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 3,940 shares in the company, valued at $338,721.80. The trade was a 98.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 1,313,029 shares of company stock worth $120,315,776. 1.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Netflix

Here are the key news stories impacting Netflix this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Netflix continues to expand beyond core streaming, with new live-content initiatives and franchise-based consumer product deals that could create additional revenue streams over time.
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts view Netflix as attractively priced after the pullback, noting that it is trading closer to its 52-week low while free cash flow guidance has improved and the ad business is scaling.
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary focuses on whether Netflix has shifted from a pure growth story toward a more mature, value-like profile, which could change how investors judge the stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: Media coverage on June streaming lineups may help keep Netflix’s content slate in view, but it is not a clear near-term catalyst on its own.
• Negative Sentiment: Netflix stock has been falling even as the broader market rises, reflecting weaker momentum and investor concerns about its premium valuation relative to recent performance.
• Negative Sentiment: Director Reed Hastings sold 386,700 shares in a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan, which may add to negative sentiment even though the sale was planned in advance.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NFLX has been the subject of several analyst reports. DZ Bank reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Netflix in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Netflix in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Netflix in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Wolfe Research reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $107.00 price target on shares of Netflix in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Netflix from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $114.82.

Netflix Stock Performance

Shares of NFLX stock opened at $83.33 on Wednesday. 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, Inc. has a 52 week low of $75.01 and a 52 week high of $134.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $350.89 billion, a PE ratio of 26.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.50. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $93.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $93.09.

Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 company had revenue of $12.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $12.17 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $6.61 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 16.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Netflix has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.780-0.780 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Netflix, Inc. will post 3.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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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