April 8, 2026, 05:13 PDT—Los Gatos, California.
- Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. ramped up its Netflix stake by over 1,000% during the fourth quarter. Ethos Capital Management, for its part, took up a fresh position—19,610 shares disclosed. National Today
- Just before Netflix’s April 16 earnings, the disclosures hit. Days earlier, Goldman Sachs bumped its rating to Buy, setting a $120 price target. Netflix
- Investors are juggling renewed fund inflows with insider selling, plus an imminent check on whether March’s price increases and advertising gains are enough to support 2026 growth. Reuters
Quarter-end filings out in the last day reveal that smaller money managers have continued increasing their Netflix holdings before earnings. MarketBeat, on Tuesday, pointed to Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co.’s big move: a 1,141.9% jump in its fourth-quarter stake, now up to 29,074 shares. Ethos Capital Management’s 13F shows a fresh position as well—19,610 shares valued at roughly $1.84 million as of Dec. 31. MarketBeat
Timing is key here. Netflix will report first-quarter earnings on April 16, just days after Goldman Sachs slapped a Buy rating on the stock and bumped its target up to $120. That comes on the heels of the company’s move to hike U.S. subscription prices across every plan less than two weeks ago. Netflix
The broader quarter-end snapshot tells a similar story. According to 24/7 Wall St. last week, Paul Tudor Jones ramped up his Netflix holding by 147% during the fourth quarter, while D.E. Shaw lifted its stake 48%. As of Wednesday’s latest U.S. market data, Netflix shares were last seen at $98.82. 24/7 Wall St.
Investors are wagering that Netflix still has room to expand within its current business. On Monday, Reuters reported the launch of “Netflix Playground,” a gaming app targeting kids under eight, part of the company’s push to get families spending more time on its platform. “Emphasizing kids programs will make Netflix stickier for households with children,” said Emarketer senior analyst Ross Benes. Reuters
Netflix is still on the hunt for those lasting franchises that Disney and Warner have long taken for granted. After losing out to Warner Bros. in a recent bidding war, Chief Creative Officer Bela Bajaria called building enduring hits “continually the goal.” Jinny Howe, vice president of original series, said the company’s lineup this year is “off to a strong start.” Still, Reuters pointed to Nielsen data showing Disney and YouTube have outpaced Netflix in TV viewing share since October 2024. Reuters
Insider moves aren’t echoing fund activity right now. Reed Hastings, according to a Form 4 filed with the SEC, exercised options on 420,550 shares April 1, unloading all of them that day in multiple trades between roughly $94.30 and $97.17 under a preset 10b5-1 plan. Another Form 4: co-CEO Greg Peters sold 105,781 shares back on Jan. 29, also through his own 10b5-1 plan. SEC
This is the backdrop for why the April 16 report carries more weight than the initial filing numbers. Back in January, Netflix projected 2026 revenue between $50.7 billion and $51.7 billion, with advertising sales set to nearly double to $3 billion this year. Now the company has to back that up, proving that March’s price hikes and the ad-supported tier are actually lifting both revenue and margins. Reuters
There’s a caveat buried in this week’s spate of ownership headlines: those 13F filings only capture what fund managers held as of Dec. 31. So much for up-to-the-minute insight—the surge in institutional buying is, by nature, dated. Next week, if Netflix falls short on growth, advertising, or engagement when it reports, that supposed influx of support could look a lot less convincing than it does now. SEC
