Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. Has $3.54 Million Holdings in Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX)

Key Points

• Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. has increased its stake in Netflix, Inc. by 35.8%, now holding 3,792 shares worth approximately $3.54 million.
• Approximately 80.93% of Netflix's stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds, reflecting strong institutional interest.
• Netflix reported a quarterly earnings per share of $7.19, surpassing estimates, with revenue of $11.08 billion, up 15.9% year-over-year.

Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. boosted its holdings in Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX - Free Report) by 35.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,792 shares of the Internet television network's stock after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.'s holdings in Netflix were worth $3,536,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Netflix by 109,524.3% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,835,722 shares of the Internet television network's stock worth $8,239,576,000 after acquiring an additional 8,827,662 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in shares of Netflix by 59.3% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,301,098 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $2,051,016,000 after purchasing an additional 856,307 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in Netflix by 318.9% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 976,924 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $870,752,000 after acquiring an additional 743,724 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 570,674 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its holdings in Netflix by 935.7% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 461,900 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $411,701,000 after acquiring an additional 417,300 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wolfe Research set a $1,340.00 price target on shares of Netflix and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Pivotal Research reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Netflix in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Seaport Res Ptn lowered shares of Netflix from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, July 6th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating on shares of Netflix in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Finally, UBS Group restated a "market underperform" rating on shares of Netflix in a report on Saturday, July 19th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,297.66.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Reed Hastings sold 26,933 shares of Netflix stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,211.66, for a total transaction of $32,633,638.78. Following the transaction, the director owned 394 shares in the company, valued at approximately $477,394.04. The trade was a 98.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Spencer Adam Neumann sold 2,601 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,211.67, for a total value of $3,151,553.67. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 3,691 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,472,273.97. The trade was a 41.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 123,830 shares of company stock worth $153,102,930 over the last three months. Company insiders own 1.37% of the company's stock.

Netflix Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NFLX traded down $9.05 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $1,175.15. 1,793,392 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,259,887. Netflix, Inc. has a 52 week low of $587.04 and a 52 week high of $1,341.15. 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 company's fifty day simple moving average is $1,235.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,077.88. The company has a market cap of $499.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.59.

Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX - Get Free Report) last issued 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. The firm had revenue of $11.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $11.04 billion. Netflix had a net margin of 24.58% and a return on equity of 42.50%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.88 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Netflix, Inc. will post 24.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Netflix Profile

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.