Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) Shares Up 1.5% on Analyst Upgrade

Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX)’s share price rose 1.5% during trading on Wednesday after Erste Group Bank upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a buy rating. The company traded as high as $92.52 and last traded at $92.28. Approximately 29,347,773 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 41% from the average daily volume of 49,908,090 shares. The stock had previously closed at $90.92.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on NFLX. Phillip Securities raised shares of Netflix from a “sell” rating to a “moderate buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $95.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Argus cut their price target on shares of Netflix from $141.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Freedom Capital raised Netflix from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Netflix in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $120.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and set a $98.00 target price (up from $95.00) on shares of Netflix in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-six have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $114.35.

Insider Buying and Selling at Netflix

In related news, insider David A. Hyman sold 5,727 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.06, for a total value of $464,230.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 316,100 shares in the company, valued at $25,623,066. This trade represents a 1.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Spencer Adam Neumann sold 28,630 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total value of $2,777,110.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 73,787 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,157,339. The trade was a 27.95% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,520,133 shares of company stock valued at $137,259,786. Company insiders own 1.37% of the company’s stock.

Netflix News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Netflix this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ad business acceleration — Zacks reports Netflix’s ad revenue surged ~2.5x to ~$1.5B, helped by AI-driven targeting and a massive global audience; meaningful for revenue diversification and higher-margin growth. Netflix Rides on Strong Advertising Revenues: More Upside Ahead?
• Positive Sentiment: Live/music engagement tailwind — Netflix said the BTS Seoul concert livestream drew 18.4M global viewers, highlighting traction for live and music‑adjacent programming that can boost ads, retention and sponsorships. BTS Seoul concert livestream draws 18.4 million global viewers, Netflix says
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst backing improves sentiment — Erste upgraded Netflix to Buy and Citi resumed coverage with a $115 price target, supporting near‑term investor confidence and demand for the shares. Erste upgrade / Finviz
• Positive Sentiment: Margin story — Bernstein reiterated Outperform citing strong margin expansion, reinforcing the thesis that pricing power and profitability are improving. Netflix (NFLX) Rated Outperform on Strong Margin Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Music/content partnerships — A Warner Music first‑look deal and Netflix’s move into music/live-adjacent content could broaden ad inventory and engagement, but monetization timing is uncertain. Is Netflix’s (NFLX) Warner Music Deal a Clue to Its Next Advertising Growth Lever?
• Neutral Sentiment: Content pipeline — Bridgerton Season 5 filming and other franchise productions support long‑term subscriber appeal, but benefits are gradual and already priced into growth expectations. ‘Bridgerton’ Season 5 Sets Francesca and Michaela Stirling as Romantic Leads
• Neutral Sentiment: Short interest notes are noisy — several data posts show a large increase in short interest but report zero shares (likely a reporting anomaly); keep an eye on clean short data for directional risk.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and near‑term pressure — Analysis flags Netflix at ~7.3x P/S and stretched given slowing growth and heavy early‑2026 content spending, which could cap near‑term upside. Is Netflix Stock’s 7.3X PS Still Worth it? Buy, Sell, or Hold?
• Negative Sentiment: Investor concerns on Q4 and strategic moves — Fund letters and coverage note investor worries after Q4 and debate over Netflix walking away from a Warner Bros. deal; mixed reactions could increase volatility. Investors’ Concerns Hurt Netflix (NFLX) in Q4

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Netflix

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Netflix by 912.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 390,014,981 shares of the Internet television network’s stock worth $36,567,805,000 after purchasing an additional 351,493,659 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Netflix by 927.6% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 176,780,995 shares of the Internet television network’s stock valued at $16,574,986,000 after purchasing an additional 159,578,053 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Netflix by 892.0% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 99,598,678 shares of the Internet television network’s stock worth $9,305,336,000 after purchasing an additional 89,558,684 shares during the period. Capital World Investors grew its position in Netflix by 859.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 89,341,444 shares of the Internet television network’s stock worth $8,376,656,000 after purchasing an additional 80,025,890 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in shares of Netflix by 685.8% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 86,058,878 shares of the Internet television network’s stock valued at $8,068,882,000 after buying an additional 75,107,069 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Netflix Trading Up 1.5%

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 firm has a market cap of $389.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.52, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $86.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $101.27.

Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 20th. The Internet television network reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $12.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.97 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.43 earnings per share. Netflix’s revenue for the quarter 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, research analysts expect that Netflix, Inc. will post 24.58 EPS 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.