Netflix, Inc. $NFLX Shares Bought by Patten Group Inc.

Key Points

• Patten Group Inc. increased its Netflix stake by 2,310.7% in Q4 to 22,757 shares (worth $2.134M), and institutional investors now own about 80.93% of the stock.
• Analyst sentiment has turned broadly positive—firms including KeyBanc, Wedbush, Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs upgraded/raised targets—with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $115.50, driven by faster-than-expected ad-tier scaling and expectations of Q1 ad revenues above $3 billion.
• Insider selling has been heavy: co‑founder Reed Hastings sold 420,550 shares (~$40.2M) and insiders have offloaded about 1.543M shares worth $141M over the past 90 days, creating potential headline risk ahead of earnings.

Patten Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX - Free Report) by 2,310.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 22,757 shares of the Internet television network's stock after purchasing an additional 21,813 shares during the period. Patten Group Inc.'s holdings in Netflix were worth $2,134,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. First Financial Corp IN raised its holdings in shares of Netflix by 900.0% during the fourth quarter. First Financial Corp IN now owns 270 shares of the Internet television network's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the period. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Netflix by 885.2% during the fourth quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 266 shares of the Internet television network's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the period. Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Netflix during the third quarter worth $25,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Netflix during the third quarter worth $28,000. Finally, MB Levis & Associates LLC raised its holdings in shares of Netflix by 177.8% during the fourth quarter. MB Levis & Associates LLC now owns 300 shares of the Internet television network's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Netflix

Here are the key news stories impacting Netflix this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KeyBanc says Netflix’s advertising tier is scaling faster than anticipated and raised its NFLX forecast, citing stronger ad traction and faster monetization that improve revenue mix prospects. ‘Netflix’s Advertising Tier Is Scaling Faster than Anticipated,’ Says KeyBanc Analyst; Raises NFLX Stock Forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush lifted its price target to $118 and flagged strong ad momentum heading into Q1, expecting ad revenue and overall results to beat guidance. Wedbush Raises Netflix Stock (NFLX) Price Target Ahead of Q1 Earnings — Sees Strong Ad Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: Deutsche Bank also bumped its price target ahead of Q1, reflecting cautious optimism that pricing power, ad growth and international expansion will continue to drive top-line strength. Netflix Stock (NFLX) Gets a Price Target Boost ahead of Q1 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs upgraded NFLX to Buy (from Neutral) and raised its 12‑month target, increasing institutional confidence in Netflix’s risk/reward given ad upside and sustained subscriber resilience. Goldman Sachs Upgrades Netflix (NFLX) Stock to Buy from Neutral
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts (Benzinga/SeekingAlpha coverage) expect Q1 ad revenues to top $3B and see ad growth as the primary driver of better-than-guidance gross margins and free-cash-flow improvement. Netflix Q1 Preview: Analyst Expects Ad Revenues To Exceed $3 Billion
• Neutral Sentiment: Ted Sarandos made a rare outreach to movie theater owners (CinemaCon attendance), signaling Netflix is exploring theatrical/windowed releases — a potential incremental revenue channel but unlikely to meaningfully affect Q1 results. Netflix Leader Makes Rare Overture to Cinema Owners
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple earnings previews and buy-side writeups (Zacks, Barron’s, Seeking Alpha) highlight solid subscriber trends, price hikes, and ad momentum but note execution and content cadence are key risks into the print. 3 Quarterly Reports to Watch This Week: NFLX, PEP, TSM
• Negative Sentiment: Report that co‑founder Reed Hastings realized ~$500M in option gains since 2025 may be viewed as insider monetization/timing risk by some investors, creating headline noise ahead of earnings. Netflix co-founder makes shocking $500M move as new fight erupts

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Freedom Capital raised shares of Netflix from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Wedbush increased their target price on shares of Netflix from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday. Piper Sandler reissued a "positive" rating and set a $103.00 target price (down from $140.00) on shares of Netflix in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Netflix from $115.00 to $112.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Barclays started coverage on shares of Netflix in a report on Monday, March 2nd. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $115.00 target price on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-six have given a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $115.50.

Netflix Stock Up 0.1%

NFLX stock opened at $103.16 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. Netflix, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $75.01 and a fifty-two week high of $134.12. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $90.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $98.84. The stock has a market cap of $435.56 billion, a PE ratio of 40.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.67.

Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 20th. The Internet television network reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.01. Netflix had a net margin of 24.30% and a return on equity of 43.26%. The business had revenue of $12.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $11.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.43 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 17.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Netflix has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.760-0.760 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Netflix, Inc. will post 24.58 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Reed Hastings sold 420,550 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.49, for a total value of $40,158,319.50. Following the sale, the director owned 3,940 shares of the company's stock, valued at $376,230.60. This trade represents a 99.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Gregory K. Peters sold 27,312 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.24, for a total transaction of $2,273,450.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 122,140 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,166,933.60. This represents a 18.27% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,543,023 shares of company stock worth $141,145,842. 1.37% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.

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