Seaport Research Partners Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) Stock

Key Points

• Seaport Research Partners raised its Netflix price target to $119 (from $115) and kept a buy rating, implying roughly a 23.7% upside from the current share price.
• Netflix beat Q1 estimates with $1.23 EPS and $12.25B revenue, but its cautious Q2 guidance (EPS ~$0.78 and revenue ~$12.57B) triggered a sell‑off that left the stock down about 10.7%.
• Significant insider selling was disclosed (CFO and CEO recently sold shares; ~1.49M insider shares sold in the last 90 days) and co‑founder Reed Hastings won’t stand for re‑election, raising near‑term governance/transition concerns even as institutional ownership remains high (~80.9%).

Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX - Get Free Report) had its target price lifted by analysts at Seaport Research Partners from $115.00 to $119.00 in a report issued on Friday,MarketScreener reports. The firm presently has a "buy" rating on the Internet television network's stock. Seaport Research Partners' price objective suggests a potential upside of 23.66% from the stock's current price.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Arete Research raised shares of Netflix from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Netflix in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Netflix in a research note on Friday. Evercore began coverage on shares of Netflix in a report on Friday, February 27th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $115.00 target price for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Netflix from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have assigned a Buy rating and fourteen have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $114.82.

Netflix Stock Down 10.7%

NFLX stock opened at $96.23 on Friday. Netflix has a twelve month low of $75.01 and a twelve month high of $134.12. The company has a market cap of $406.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.67. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $91.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $98.56. 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 (NASDAQ:NFLX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The Internet television network reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 return on equity of 43.26% and a net margin of 24.30%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 16.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $6.61 earnings per share. Netflix has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.780-0.780 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Netflix will post 24.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Netflix

In related news, CFO Spencer Adam Neumann sold 28,630 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.00, for a total transaction of $2,805,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 73,787 shares in the company, valued at $7,231,126. This represents a 27.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Gregory K. Peters sold 27,312 shares of Netflix stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,487,794 shares of company stock valued at $136,255,772. Insiders own 1.37% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Netflix by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,521,322 shares of the Internet television network's stock worth $46,183,983,000 after acquiring an additional 142,238 shares during the last quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Netflix by 837.2% during the 4th quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 111,380 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $10,443,000 after purchasing an additional 99,496 shares during the period. Crew Capital Management Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Netflix by 1,021.9% in the 4th quarter. Crew Capital Management Ltd now owns 9,031 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $847,000 after purchasing an additional 8,226 shares in the last quarter. BNC Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Netflix by 991.3% in the 4th quarter. BNC Wealth Management LLC now owns 41,229 shares of the Internet television network's stock worth $3,866,000 after purchasing an additional 37,451 shares during the period. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust boosted its stake in shares of Netflix by 1,379.8% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 25,512 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $2,392,000 after purchasing an additional 23,788 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Netflix News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Netflix this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat: Netflix reported $1.23 EPS and $12.25B revenue, both above consensus, with strong cash flow and margin expansion — evidence the core business is still generating robust profits. Earnings Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Monetization tailwinds: Management highlighted price increases and growing ad revenues as durable profit drivers, which support longer‑term margin upside even if near‑term guidance is cautious. MarketWatch: Profit Boost
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts see the sell‑off as a buying opportunity — firms including Needham and TD Cowen kept bullish views, calling the pullback a chance to buy exposure to ad growth and pricing leverage. Analyst Buy Views
• Neutral Sentiment: Full‑year outlook left broadly unchanged — management reiterated longer‑term targets even as it trimmed near‑term cadence, so the pullback centers on timing rather than an admission of structural decline. Yahoo: Full‑Year Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Weaker Q2 guidance: Netflix set Q2 EPS guidance at $0.78 and revenue around $12.57B — slightly below Street revenue/margin expectations and cited lower year‑over‑year operating margin, which triggered the sell‑off. Financial Post: Guidance Miss
• Negative Sentiment: Leadership change: Co‑founder and chairman Reed Hastings will not stand for re‑election to the board in June — investors see timing as awkward coming with softer near‑term guidance, increasing governance/transition risk. Reuters: Hastings Exit
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrade/target cuts add pressure: Rosenblatt trimmed its target to $95 with a Neutral rating and several firms issued cautious notes — amplifying downside in the immediate term. Benzinga: Rosenblatt Cut

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.

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