Sanford C. Bernstein Reaffirms Buy Rating for Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX)

Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reissued by Sanford C. Bernstein in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the company. Huber Research lowered Netflix to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Netflix in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Guggenheim lowered their target price on Netflix from $145.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group set a $104.00 target price on Netflix in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, DZ Bank restated a “buy” rating on shares of Netflix in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-three have issued a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $116.08.

Netflix Trading Down 1.3%

NASDAQ:NFLX opened at $77.00 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $87.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $105.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $325.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.71. Netflix has a 1-year low of $75.23 and a 1-year high of $134.12. 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) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 20th. The Internet television network reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $12.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.97 billion. Netflix had a net margin of 24.30% and a return on equity of 43.26%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.43 earnings per share. Netflix has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.760-0.760 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Netflix will post 24.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Netflix

In related news, Director Reed Hastings sold 390,970 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.63, for a total transaction of $32,696,821.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 3,940 shares in the company, valued at $329,502.20. This represents a 99.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Gregory K. Peters sold 27,312 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.24, for a total transaction of $2,273,450.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 122,140 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,166,933.60. This trade represents a 18.27% 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 sold 1,399,163 shares of company stock valued at $129,899,103. 1.37% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in 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. CIBC Capital Markets Europe S.A. lifted its position in shares of Netflix by 171.4% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Capital Markets Europe S.A. now owns 66,503 shares of the Internet television network’s stock worth $79,732,000 after buying an additional 42,000 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Netflix by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 302,182 shares of the Internet television network’s stock worth $362,292,000 after buying an additional 18,837 shares during the last quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Netflix by 64.6% during the third quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 177,297 shares of the Internet television network’s stock valued at $212,565,000 after acquiring an additional 69,570 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caprock Group LLC bought a new stake in Netflix during the third quarter worth $30,573,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Netflix News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Netflix this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Reports say Netflix has ample cash room to raise its bid for Warner Bros., signaling it can match or top rival offers and improve odds of winning the deal. Netflix has ample room to increase its offer (Reuters)
• Positive Sentiment: Co-CEO Ted Sarandos says he’s “highly confident” the Warner Bros. deal will close and that the acquisition will accelerate Netflix’s growth — supportive for long-term strategy. Sarandos Says Warner Bros. Purchase Will Accelerate Netflix Growth (YouTube)
• Positive Sentiment: Netflix granted WBD a short waiver to let Paramount submit a “best and final” offer — a move that gives Netflix time to respond and may improve regulatory optics if it ultimately wins. Warner Bros Seeks Paramount’s “Best and Final Offer” (MarketBeat)
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts and investors highlight Netflix’s fundamentals and rate reaffirmations (e.g., Bernstein), arguing the company can withstand the deal overhang and recover if it wins or adjusts strategy. Netflix receives a buy rating from Bernstein (MarketScreener)
• Neutral Sentiment: Warner Bros. reopening talks with Paramount and seeking a best-and-final offer raises the chance the final price moves higher — creates ambiguity rather than a clear positive or negative outcome for Netflix. Warner Bros. strategic updates (MarketBeat)
• Negative Sentiment: High-profile pushback: director James Cameron sent a scathing letter to a U.S. senator raising antitrust/regulatory concerns around the Netflix–WBD combination — a risk to deal approval and timeline. James Cameron sends scathing letter to antitrust lawmaker (CNBC)
• Negative Sentiment: Theater owners remain skeptical despite Netflix’s theatrical pledges; exhibitor caution (Cinemark) risks strained industry relationships and could complicate content distribution strategies. Netflix Acquiring Warner Bros. Would Put ‘More’ Movies In Theaters (Forbes)
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: shares have slid toward 52-week lows as the bidding war and deal-risk overhang pressure the stock; some write-ups warn of potential debt/financial strain if the transaction is financed heavily. YouTube threat drives Netflix to 52-week low (24/7 Wall St.)
• Negative Sentiment: Additional distractions: litigation threats against ByteDance/TikTok over AI content and renewed public debate about the takeover add noise and potential legal/PR costs. Netflix warns TikTok parent with litigation (Benzinga)

About Netflix

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.