William Blair Investment Management LLC Has $3.87 Million Holdings in Netflix, Inc. $NFLX

Key Points

• William Blair Investment Management boosted its Netflix stake by 588.1% in the fourth quarter, ending with 41,266 shares valued at about $3.87 million.
• Netflix reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.23 versus $0.76 expected and revenue of $12.25 billion, up 16.2% year over year.
• Despite the strong fundamentals, the stock was trading lower and insiders continued selling shares, including CEO Theodore Sarandos and CFO Spencer Neumann, while analysts still hold a Moderate Buy consensus rating.

William Blair Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX - Free Report) by 588.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 41,266 shares of the Internet television network's stock after acquiring an additional 35,269 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC's holdings in Netflix were worth $3,869,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of NFLX. Apriem Advisors raised its stake in Netflix by 0.6% during the third quarter. Apriem Advisors now owns 1,567 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $1,879,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Netflix by 10.8% during the third quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 92 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $110,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. Pacific Sun Financial Corp raised its stake in shares of Netflix by 1.6% in the third quarter. Pacific Sun Financial Corp now owns 574 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $688,000 after acquiring an additional 9 shares during the period. Brass Tax Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Netflix by 3.2% in the third quarter. Brass Tax Wealth Management Inc. now owns 288 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $345,000 after acquiring an additional 9 shares during the period. Finally, Carl P. Sherr & Co. LLC raised its stake in shares of Netflix by 0.6% in the third quarter. Carl P. Sherr & Co. LLC now owns 1,715 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $2,056,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Netflix Trading Down 1.0%

NASDAQ NFLX opened at $87.68 on Wednesday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $93.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $93.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The stock has a market cap of $369.20 billion, a PE ratio of 28.32, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.55. Netflix, Inc. has a 12 month low of $75.01 and a 12 month high of $134.12.

Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The Internet television network reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.76 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $12.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $12.17 billion. Netflix had a net margin of 28.52% and a return on equity of 40.92%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 16.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.61 earnings per share. Netflix has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.780-0.780 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Netflix, Inc. will post 3.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Netflix

In other news, CEO Theodore A. Sarandos sold 27,312 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.97, for a total value of $2,402,636.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 284,804 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,054,207.88. This represents a 8.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Spencer Adam Neumann sold 57,260 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.50, for a total transaction of $5,468,330.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 73,787 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,046,658.50. The trade was a 43.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 1,422,769 shares of company stock valued at $135,144,073. Company insiders own 1.24% of the company's stock.

Key Netflix News

Here are the key news stories impacting Netflix this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary continue to highlight Netflix’s expanding ad-tier opportunity, content strategy, and disciplined deal-making as reasons the long-term investment case remains intact. How The Netflix (NFLX) Investment Story Is Shifting Around Ads Content And Deal Discipline
• Positive Sentiment: Netflix’s push into live sports is being seen as a potential new revenue driver, with engagement gains such as strong Japan sign-ups around the World Baseball Classic supporting the growth narrative. NFLX Rides on Sports Content Engagement: New Revenue Growth Catalyst?
• Positive Sentiment: Some investors remain focused on Netflix’s long-term dominance in streaming, citing its massive historical share gains and strong competitive moat. Does Netflix Have the Widest Moat in Streaming?
• Neutral Sentiment: Netflix is drawing unusually high investor attention, but the coverage is mostly a reminder to watch upcoming catalysts rather than a clear new fundamental development. Netflix, Inc. (NFLX) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary notes that Netflix’s shares are attracting attention and that the company is continuing to explore AI animation, though this has also sparked social-media criticism and is not yet a clear financial catalyst. Netflix is betting big on an AI animation studio — even as 51% of people say they don't want generative AI content
• Negative Sentiment: One article specifically noted that Netflix closed lower in the latest session, reinforcing the recent weakness in the stock. Netflix (NFLX) Stock Slides as Market Rises: Facts to Know Before You Trade
• Negative Sentiment: There is also some near-term margin pressure from heavier content spending, even as Netflix invests in sports and other growth areas. NFLX Rides on Sports Content Engagement: New Revenue Growth Catalyst?

Analyst Ratings Changes

NFLX has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Netflix from $98.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Netflix in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 target price (up from $103.00) on shares of Netflix in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Barclays set a $110.00 target price on shares of Netflix and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Arete Research raised shares of Netflix from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-four have assigned a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Netflix has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.

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