Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) Trading 2.9% Higher After Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Netflix shares rose 2.9% after Deutsche Bank raised its price target to $100 (keeping a Hold); the stock traded as high as $106.57 and the consensus rating is a Moderate Buy with an average target of $115.80.
• Large insider selling this quarter—CEO Gregory K. Peters sold 27,312 shares and co-founder Reed Hastings sold 420,550 shares under a 10b5‑1 plan—totaling 1,543,023 shares (~$141.1M), leaving insiders with about 1.37% ownership and attracting potential scrutiny.
• Analysts are increasingly positive on ad-tier revenue and margin upside (several upgrades including Goldman Sachs to Buy, $120 target), unusual call-option buying ahead of the April 16 earnings, and Netflix recently delivered a slight EPS and revenue beat with Q1 guidance of $0.76 EPS.

Shares of Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX - Get Free Report) traded up 2.9% on Tuesday after Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on the stock from $98.00 to $100.00. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft currently has a hold rating on the stock. Netflix traded as high as $106.57 and last traded at $106.17. 40,198,764 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 15% from the average session volume of 47,475,516 shares. The stock had previously closed at $103.16.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Netflix from $150.00 to $120.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Netflix from $149.00 to $125.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Piper Sandler reiterated a "positive" rating and set a $103.00 target price (down from $140.00) on shares of Netflix in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Huber Research upgraded shares of Netflix from a "strong sell" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Netflix in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-six have given a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $115.80.

Insider Transactions at Netflix

In other Netflix news, CEO Gregory K. Peters sold 27,312 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.24, for a total value of $2,273,450.88. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 122,140 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,166,933.60. The trade was a 18.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Reed Hastings sold 420,550 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $376,230.60. The trade was a 99.07% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 1,543,023 shares of company stock valued at $141,145,842 in the last quarter. 1.37% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Netflix News

Here are the key news stories impacting Netflix this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple bullish analyst actions and price-target raises signal improved Wall Street conviction (Goldman Sachs upgraded to Buy with a $120 target; Wedbush, Moffett Nathanson and others have raised targets). These notes highlight ad-revenue upside and margin expansion expectations. Goldman Sachs upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: KeyBanc and other analysts say Netflix’s ad-supported tier is scaling faster than expected and could materially boost revenue and margins, supporting higher near-term forecasts. KeyBanc report
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call-option buying (over 900k calls traded, ~62% above average) suggests speculative bullish positioning ahead of earnings and potential upside surprises.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market consensus and previews expect a solid Q1: analysts forecast ~15% revenue growth, ad revenue potentially >$3B and modest EPS beats—earnings release on April 16 is the immediate catalyst. Q1 preview
• Neutral Sentiment: Positive narrative pieces (The Motley Fool, Zacks, 247WallSt) argue Netflix still has international growth runway and pricing/ad mix to improve margins long term — supportive for buy-and-hold investors but dependent on execution. Fool analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate/industry items: co-founder Marc Randolph joined Oh YAAS as an advisor (not material to Netflix fundamentals) and CEO Ted Sarandos’ outreach to cinema owners signals strategic focus on theatrical windows for select titles. BusinessWire
• Negative Sentiment: Some cautionary notes remain: Deutsche Bank keeps a Hold with a $100 target (below current levels), reflecting valuation risk if execution or ad growth disappoints. Deutsche Bank note
• Negative Sentiment: Corporate insider headlines (large option gains for co-founder/execs reported) can attract short-term scrutiny on governance/insider timing even if they aren’t direct operational negatives. Insider gains report

Institutional Trading of Netflix

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NFLX. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in Netflix by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,390 shares of the Internet television network's stock worth $4,804,000 after buying an additional 257 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Netflix by 16.4% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,023 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $912,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Netflix by 21.2% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,406 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $1,883,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the period. Strategic Investment Advisors MI increased its holdings in shares of Netflix by 18.9% in the 2nd quarter. Strategic Investment Advisors MI now owns 774 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $1,036,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the period. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its holdings in shares of Netflix by 12.1% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 2,115 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $2,832,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Netflix Stock Up 2.9%

The company has a market cap of $448.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $90.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $98.84.

Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 20th. The Internet television network reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $12.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.97 billion. Netflix had a return on equity of 43.26% and a net margin of 24.30%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.43 EPS. Netflix has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.760-0.760 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Netflix, Inc. will post 24.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Netflix Company Profile

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.