Netflix, Inc. $NFLX Shares Purchased by Middleton & Co. Inc. MA

Key Points

• Middleton & Co. Inc. MA increased its Netflix position by 544.8% in the third quarter, purchasing 28,054 additional shares for a total holding of 33,203 shares valued at approximately $2.31 million. Institutional investors collectively own 80.93% of Netflix.
• Netflix reported third-quarter earnings of $0.87 per share, beating the $0.82 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 11.9% year over year to $12.87 billion. However, the company lowered its 2026 advertising-revenue and free-cash-flow outlooks, while weaker guidance and slowing engagement weighed on investor sentiment.
• Shares opened at $65.85, near the 52-week low of $64.10, and analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an $89.59 price target. Recent analyst actions were mixed, with some firms raising or maintaining bullish targets and others downgrading the stock or reducing price objectives.

Middleton & Co. Inc. MA grew its position in Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX - Free Report) by 544.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,203 shares of the Internet television network's stock after purchasing an additional 28,054 shares during the period. Middleton & Co. Inc. MA's holdings in Netflix were worth $2,310,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Nykredit A S acquired a new position in shares of Netflix during the second quarter valued at $105,697,000. Rockland Trust Co. raised its stake in shares of Netflix by 27.5% during the third quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 219,221 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $15,253,000 after purchasing an additional 47,339 shares in the last quarter. Boomfish Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in Netflix by 91.5% in the third quarter. Boomfish Wealth Group LLC now owns 34,547 shares of the Internet television network's stock worth $2,404,000 after purchasing an additional 16,510 shares during the period. Welch & Forbes LLC lifted its holdings in Netflix by 3,464.5% in the first quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC now owns 118,448 shares of the Internet television network's stock worth $11,389,000 after purchasing an additional 115,125 shares during the period. Finally, USS Investment Management Ltd lifted its holdings in Netflix by 31.8% in the first quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd now owns 886,527 shares of the Internet television network's stock worth $85,244,000 after purchasing an additional 213,972 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Netflix

Here are the key news stories impacting Netflix this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Netflix reported third-quarter EPS of $0.87, ahead of the $0.82 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $12.87 billion. Operating margin rose to 34.6%, supporting the argument that the core streaming business remains highly profitable. Can Netflix Stock Hold Margin Gains as Content Spending Keeps Growing?
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term bulls argue that Netflix’s profitability, systematic share repurchases, local-language content, and continued subscriber retention could create meaningful upside after the sell-off. Bill Ackman has also returned to the stock and expects annualized returns above 20%. Bill Ackman Lost $400 Million on Netflix
• Positive Sentiment: Ark Invest’s Cathie Wood bought 18,000 Netflix shares, signaling that some growth-oriented investors view the two-year-low valuation as an opportunity. Cathie Wood Just Bought Netflix Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Netflix is reportedly planning layoffs at its Bay Area headquarters. The cuts could reduce costs, but they also raise questions about operating priorities and employee productivity. Netflix Stock Slips as Layoffs Hit Bay Area Headquarters
• Neutral Sentiment: Paramount Skydance’s completed merger highlights intensifying competition for scale and content across the entertainment industry, potentially increasing pressure on Netflix to sustain its content advantage. Could Skydance Be Bigger Than Disney?
• Negative Sentiment: Management reduced its 2026 advertising-revenue outlook to approximately $2.7 billion from about $3 billion. Softer ad growth undermines a major part of Netflix’s expansion thesis and overshadowed the earnings beat. Netflix Cut Its 2026 Ad Forecast by $300 Million
• Negative Sentiment: Disappointing fourth-quarter revenue guidance and decelerating growth have led investors to discount the strong quarterly results. Netflix’s reduced 2026 free-cash-flow outlook is another concern as content spending continues to rise. Netflix Has Lower FCF Guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Several analysts lowered their price targets or ratings after the report. One fair-value estimate fell from $92.62 to $86.24, while UBS, Guggenheim, and Needham adopted more cautious views. Netflix Stock Fair Value Falls After Cautious Q3 Analyst Revisions
• Negative Sentiment: Reports indicate viewing time is declining even though subscribers are staying, suggesting weaker engagement. YouTube and lower-cost streaming alternatives may also be contributing to slower revenue growth. Netflix Is Losing Viewers

Netflix Price Performance

NASDAQ NFLX opened at $65.85 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $270.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.62. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $74.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $79.64. Netflix, Inc. has a 52-week low of $64.10 and a 52-week high of $116.73.

Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 20th. The Internet television network reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $12.87 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.87 billion. Netflix had a net margin of 29.69% and a return on equity of 42.69%. The firm's revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.59 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Netflix, Inc. will post 3.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Netflix news, Director Richard Barton sold 720 shares of Netflix stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.27, for a total transaction of $54,194.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 2,460 shares of the company's stock, valued at $185,164.20. This trade represents a 22.64% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Spencer Neumann sold 9,248 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.79, for a total transaction of $700,905.92. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 73,787 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,592,316.73. This represents a 11.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 179,045 shares of company stock worth $13,132,194. Insiders own 1.24% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on NFLX. Morgan Stanley set a $77.00 target price on shares of Netflix and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Seaport Research Partners set a $85.00 price target on shares of Netflix in a research report on Wednesday. Huber Research lowered shares of Netflix from a "buy" rating to an "underweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Argus set a $95.00 price objective on shares of Netflix and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Netflix from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $80.00 to $57.00 in a report on Friday, September 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have issued a Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $89.59.

Netflix Profile

Netflix, Inc NASDAQ: NFLX is a global entertainment company that provides subscription-based streaming services. Its platform offers a broad selection of television series, films, documentaries, stand-up specials and other programming, including content produced by Netflix and licensed from third-party studios and creators.

The company also develops and distributes original productions under the Netflix brand and has expanded into additional entertainment offerings, including mobile and cloud-based games in select markets and live programming.

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