Artisan Partners Limited Partnership Sells 68,835 Shares of Netflix, Inc. $NFLX

Artisan Partners Limited Partnership cut its position in Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) by 6.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 979,203 shares of the Internet television network’s stock after selling 68,835 shares during the period. Netflix accounts for about 1.7% of Artisan Partners Limited Partnership’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership owned 0.23% of Netflix worth $1,173,986,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of NFLX. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Netflix during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in Netflix in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Rossby Financial LCC acquired a new position in Netflix in the second quarter worth $35,000. Steph & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Netflix by 188.9% during the third quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 26 shares of the Internet television network’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bare Financial Services Inc increased its stake in shares of Netflix by 93.3% in the third quarter. Bare Financial Services Inc now owns 29 shares of the Internet television network’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Netflix Stock Up 2.3%

Shares of Netflix stock opened at $84.58 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $357.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The business has a 50-day moving average of $85.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $104.58. Netflix, Inc. has a 1 year low of $75.01 and a 1 year high of $134.12.

Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 20th. The Internet television network reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.01. Netflix had a return on equity of 43.26% and a net margin of 24.30%.The business had revenue of $12.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.97 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.43 EPS. Netflix’s quarterly revenue 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, equities analysts predict that Netflix, Inc. will post 24.58 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NFLX has been the topic of several research reports. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Netflix in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. KeyCorp set a $110.00 target price on shares of Netflix and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Benchmark reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Netflix in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “buy” rating on shares of Netflix in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, DZ Bank reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Netflix in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-three have assigned a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Netflix presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $116.08.

Key Netflix News

Here are the key news stories impacting Netflix this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Netflix publicly declined to increase its bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, signaling it may walk away rather than overpay; the market is treating that as shareholder-friendly (less cash risk, fewer integration/regulatory headaches). Netflix declines to raise offer (Reuters)
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are placing bullish bets: unusually large call-option volume was reported, indicating speculative optimism or hedged positioning ahead of a likely retreat from the WBD deal. Huge volume in Netflix call options (MSN)
• Neutral Sentiment: Warner Bros. Discovery’s board has determined Paramount Skydance’s revised $31-per-share offer could qualify as a “Company Superior Proposal,” triggering a four-business-day window for Netflix to match or walk — an event that creates uncertainty but not an immediate outcome. WBD Board says Paramount proposal could be superior (WBD/Yahoo)
• Neutral Sentiment: Netflix made a programming/content move: it and Apple TV will collaborate on F1 content (streaming the Canadian Grand Prix live in the U.S. and making Drive to Survive S8 available on Apple TV) — a small positive for growth/engagement but not a near-term earnings catalyst relative to the M&A story. Netflix and Apple TV join on F1 content (Reuters)
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory and political risk remains a material overhang: several state attorneys general have urged the DOJ to probe Netflix’s proposed Warner deal, meaning any revived bidding or consummation would likely face intense antitrust review and delay. 11 US states urge DOJ to probe Netflix-WBD deal (Reuters)

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Reed Hastings sold 426,290 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.67, for a total value of $39,078,004.30. Following the sale, the director directly owned 3,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $361,179.80. The trade was a 99.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider David A. Hyman sold 23,439 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.11, for a total transaction of $2,065,210.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 316,100 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,851,571. The trade was a 6.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 1,399,163 shares of company stock valued at $129,899,103. 1.37% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Netflix 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.