Empirical Finance LLC Sells 185 Shares of Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX)

Empirical Finance LLC lessened its stake in shares of Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 14,894 shares of the Internet television network’s stock after selling 185 shares during the period. Netflix makes up approximately 0.8% of Empirical Finance LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Empirical Finance LLC’s holdings in Netflix were worth $13,275,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Netflix in the third quarter worth $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Netflix by 700.0% in the third quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. now owns 48 shares of the Internet television network’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Newton One Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Netflix in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Netflix in the third quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Netflix in the third quarter valued at $38,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Netflix Stock Performance

Shares of NFLX stock opened at $1,013.93 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $433.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.13, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $917.36 and its 200 day moving average is $790.17. Netflix, Inc. has a 12 month low of $542.01 and a 12 month high of $1,027.76.

Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The Internet television network reported $4.27 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.20 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $10.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.14 billion. Netflix had a net margin of 22.34% and a return on equity of 38.32%. Netflix’s revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.11 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Netflix, Inc. will post 24.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Netflix

In other news, CEO Gregory K. Peters sold 4,434 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,015.00, for a total transaction of $4,500,510.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 12,950 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,144,250. This trade represents a 25.51 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Ann Mather sold 2,682 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $973.00, for a total transaction of $2,609,586.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 299,517 shares of company stock worth $285,805,037. 1.76% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on NFLX shares. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Netflix from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $975.00 to $1,200.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,175.00 target price (up previously from $1,000.00) on shares of Netflix in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Netflix from $725.00 to $920.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Argus boosted their target price on shares of Netflix from $840.00 to $1,040.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Phillip Securities lowered shares of Netflix from a “hold” rating to a “moderate sell” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,021.70.

Netflix Company Profile

Netflix, Inc provides entertainment services. It offers TV series, documentaries, feature films, and games across various genres and languages. The company also provides members the ability to receive streaming content through a host of internet-connected devices, including TVs, digital video players, TV set-top boxes, and mobile devices.