Plato Investment Management Ltd Takes Position in Netflix, Inc. $NFLX

Plato Investment Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 119,014 shares of the Internet television network’s stock, valued at approximately $8,448,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Netflix by 13,400.0% during the 4th quarter. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. now owns 270 shares of the Internet television network’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. Imprint Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Netflix during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Netflix during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Netflix during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Jessup Wealth Management Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Netflix in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Netflix Price Performance

Shares of Netflix stock opened at $78.16 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Netflix, Inc. has a 52-week low of $65.08 and a 52-week high of $126.71. The company has a market capitalization of $325.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.60, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a 50 day moving average of $74.67 and a 200 day moving average of $84.53.

Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 16th. The Internet television network reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.01. Netflix had a net margin of 28.22% and a return on equity of 40.02%. The company had revenue of $12.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.72 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Netflix, Inc. will post 3.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Netflix

In other news, Director Richard N. Barton sold 2,160 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.10, for a total transaction of $162,216.00. Following the sale, the director owned 246 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,474.60. This trade represents a 89.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Gregory K. Peters sold 27,312 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.54, for a total value of $2,008,524.48. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 120,931 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,893,265.74. The trade was a 18.42% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 600,295 shares of company stock worth $49,056,671 over the last three months. Company insiders own 1.24% of the company’s stock.

Netflix News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Netflix this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square disclosed a new Netflix position of approximately 3.15 million shares, representing about 4.9% of the fund’s portfolio. Ackman said Netflix has effectively “won the streaming wars,” renewing investor interest after the stock’s major sell-off. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and investing commentators point to Netflix’s resilient fundamentals: second-quarter revenue rose 13.4% year over year to $12.6 billion, earnings per share slightly exceeded estimates, and profitability remained strong. The advertising business, expanding margins and a valuation viewed as reasonable relative to growth are supporting the bullish case. Zacks article
• Positive Sentiment: Netflix’s continued push into live sports—including an MLB “Field of Dreams” game—and the extension of its Seinfeld agreement could strengthen engagement, advertising opportunities and content retention. MLB live sports article
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional positioning is mixed: some large investors added shares while others reduced holdings. Analysts’ reported price targets remain above the current market level, but investors still must weigh valuation and slowing growth expectations.
• Negative Sentiment: Netflix closed its Hollywood-based Night School gaming studio and plans to close Helsinki-based Moonloot. The closures may improve focus and reduce costs, but they also raise questions about the company’s gaming strategy and ability to expand beyond streaming. Los Angeles Times article
• Negative Sentiment: Reported insider trading shows 30 Netflix open-market sales and no purchases over the past six months. While such sales may reflect compensation or diversification, the one-sided pattern can weigh on sentiment and contrasts with Ackman’s new bullish position. Quiver Quantitative article

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on NFLX shares. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $92.00 price objective (down from $115.00) on shares of Netflix in a report on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings lowered Netflix from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Rosenblatt Securities set a $75.00 price target on Netflix and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Daiwa Securities Group raised their price target on Netflix from $97.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $80.00 price objective on Netflix and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-three have issued a Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Netflix presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.48.

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.