ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. Acquires 279,396 Shares of Netflix, Inc. $NFLX

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) by 118.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 515,240 shares of the Internet television network’s stock after purchasing an additional 279,396 shares during the quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Netflix were worth $35,850,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Netflix during the 2nd quarter valued at about $24,902,221,000. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Netflix by 4.9% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 180,129,582 shares of the Internet television network’s stock valued at $12,861,252,000 after acquiring an additional 8,474,820 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Netflix by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 57,942,812 shares of the Internet television network’s stock valued at $5,571,201,000 after acquiring an additional 2,376,349 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Netflix by 835.9% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 43,462,696 shares of the Internet television network’s stock worth $4,075,062,000 after acquiring an additional 38,818,947 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in Netflix in the second quarter worth about $1,906,482,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Netflix

Here are the key news stories impacting Netflix this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies initiated coverage with a Buy rating and an $85 price target, implying substantial upside from recent levels. The call may be supporting shares ahead of earnings. Netflix stock gets bullish analyst call ahead of next week’s earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Netflix secured exclusive rights to broadcast the 2030 FIFA World Cup in Spain and Andorra, giving the platform a high-profile opportunity to attract viewers and support engagement. Netflix lands 2030 World Cup rights
• Positive Sentiment: The planned workforce reduction could improve efficiency and margins. Management said Netflix remains on track to meet its full-year forecast, while investors may view the restructuring as a way to redirect resources toward content and product initiatives. Netflix to cut 6% of staff
• Neutral Sentiment: Netflix reports third-quarter results on Oct. 20. Investors will focus on subscriber trends, viewing time, free cash flow, content spending and guidance. The stock’s valuation—roughly 22 times earnings—leaves the report as an important near-term catalyst.
• Negative Sentiment: Netflix is eliminating roughly 1,000 jobs, or 6% of its global workforce, its largest reduction since 2022. While potentially margin-positive, the scale of the cuts signals management is responding to slower growth and intensifying competition. Netflix is laying off roughly 6% of its workforce
• Negative Sentiment: App data reportedly showed U.S. churn rising 16.6%, alongside declining viewing time and weaker engagement. These indicators raise concerns that cancellations and competition from YouTube and other services could pressure subscriber growth. Netflix U.S. app churn jumps
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst caution remains a headwind: KeyCorp lowered its price target to $85, Erste cut earnings estimates, and Huber Research downgraded NFLX to Sell. Rising content costs and concerns about transparency are adding pressure ahead of earnings.

Netflix Stock Up 0.2%

NASDAQ:NFLX opened at $70.57 on Thursday. Netflix, Inc. has a twelve month low of $65.08 and a twelve month high of $124.86. The company has a market cap of $293.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.62. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $75.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $80.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 16th. The Internet television network reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $12.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.58 billion. Netflix had a net margin of 28.22% and a return on equity of 40.02%. The business’s revenue was up 13.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.72 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Netflix, Inc. will post 3.59 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Netflix news, CFO Spencer Neumann sold 9,248 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.79, for a total value of $700,905.92. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 73,787 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,592,316.73. The trade was a 11.14% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Theodore A. Sarandos sold 105,850 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.03, for a total transaction of $7,730,225.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 206,266 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,063,605.98. This trade represents a 33.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold a total of 179,045 shares of company stock worth $13,132,194 over the last ninety days. 1.24% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Netflix from $83.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Moffett Nathanson lowered their price objective on Netflix from $115.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 17th. President Capital lowered their price objective on Netflix from $134.00 to $83.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 20th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of Netflix in a report on Monday, October 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $85.00 target price on Netflix in a report on Thursday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-five have given a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $94.41.

About Netflix

Netflix, Inc (NASDAQ:NFLX) is a global entertainment company that operates a subscription-based streaming service. It offers a broad range of television series, films, documentaries, and other programming, including original productions developed under the Netflix brand and licensed content from third-party studios.

The company also provides advertising-supported viewing options in some markets and has expanded into related entertainment categories, including mobile and cloud-based games, live programming, and consumer products associated with selected titles.