Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. Has $4.12 Million Stock Position in Netflix, Inc. $NFLX

Key Points

• Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. sharply increased its Netflix stake by 877.7% in the fourth quarter, ending with 43,920 shares worth about $4.12 million.
• Institutional ownership remains very high at 80.93%, and several other hedge funds also boosted their positions in Netflix during the period.
• Netflix is still drawing mixed market signals: analysts remain generally bullish on its ad business and live-sports strategy, but the stock is also trading below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, reflecting near-term investor caution.

Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. lifted its stake in Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX - Free Report) by 877.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 43,920 shares of the Internet television network's stock after purchasing an additional 39,428 shares during the quarter. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.'s holdings in Netflix were worth $4,117,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. First Financial Corp IN boosted its position in shares of Netflix by 900.0% in the 4th quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 270 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the period. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. boosted its position in shares of Netflix by 885.2% in the 4th quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 266 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the period. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Netflix by 13,400.0% in the 4th quarter. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. now owns 270 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares during the period. Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Netflix in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Finally, MB Levis & Associates LLC boosted its position in shares of Netflix by 177.8% in the 4th quarter. MB Levis & Associates LLC now owns 300 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

More Netflix News

Here are the key news stories impacting Netflix this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America reiterated a Buy rating and a $125 price target, citing Netflix’s advertising business, expanding live sports strategy, and long-term subscriber growth potential. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are becoming more constructive after Netflix’s advertiser presentation, suggesting the company’s ad tier is gaining credibility with Wall Street. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Omdia projected connected TV advertising revenue will nearly double by 2030, with Amazon, Netflix, and Google expected to capture a large share, reinforcing the long-term upside in Netflix’s ad business. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Netflix is expanding further into consumer products, including candy and toys, which could create additional brand-monetization opportunities beyond streaming. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several commentary pieces focused on whether Netflix is now “cheap” relative to its history, but these were largely valuation debates rather than fresh fundamental catalysts. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Other articles highlighted long-term upside targets and comparisons to prior performance, but they mainly echoed existing bullish sentiment instead of adding new information. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Netflix remains below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages and has lagged the broader market over the past year, showing that investors still have concerns about growth durability and near-term execution. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Some coverage noted recent pullbacks tied to weaker guidance and investor skepticism, which continues to weigh on the stock despite solid underlying fundamentals. Article Title

Netflix Stock Down 0.4%

NFLX opened at $89.33 on Wednesday. Netflix, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $75.01 and a fifty-two week high of $134.12. The business has a 50-day moving average of $94.36 and a 200-day moving average of $94.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 1.41. The company has a market capitalization of $376.15 billion, a PE ratio of 28.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.55.

Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The Internet television network reported $1.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.17 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $6.61 EPS. The business'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. Equities research analysts forecast that Netflix, Inc. will post 3.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Netflix

In other news, CEO Theodore A. Sarandos sold 27,312 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.97, for a total transaction of $2,402,636.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 284,804 shares of the company's stock, valued at $25,054,207.88. This trade represents a 8.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Director Reed Hastings sold 407,550 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.13, for a total value of $37,955,131.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 3,940 shares of the company's stock, valued at $366,932.20. This trade represents a 99.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 1,422,769 shares of company stock worth $135,144,073. 1.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings raised Netflix from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. DZ Bank reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Netflix in a research note on Friday, April 17th. New Street Research increased their price objective on Netflix from $96.00 to $102.00 in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Susquehanna raised Netflix to a "positive" rating and set a $112.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on Netflix in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. They issued a "market perform" rating for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have issued a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Netflix has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $114.82.

About Netflix

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.