Today, Netflix is almost synonymous with the best streaming services, being one of the biggest media and streaming companies in the world.
Headquartered in Los Gatos, California, Netflix was launched in 1997 as a mail-based DVD rental business, which eventually transitioned into an online streaming service in 2017.
As of January 2024, it had about 260.28 million paid memberships spanning over 190 countries. Netflix Original productions are some of the most popular shows today, especially in the United States.
Besides Netflix streaming, the company has also ventured into mobile games via video game publishing. Some of the companies owned by Netflix include Spryfox, Animal Logic, Roku, Night School Studio, and Millarworld, amongst others.
So, who owns Netflix stock? Read on to learn more about the 10 largest Netflix shareholders, including individual and institutional investors.
Key Takeaways
- Netflix is one of the best-known streaming and media companies in the world.
- As of February 2024, it had about 441,537,000 outstanding shares, which are owned by a mix of institutional and insider shareholders.
- Netflix’s largest insider shareholders are Reed Hastings and Leslie J. Kilgore.
- The company’s largest institutional shareholders are the Vanguard Group and BlackRock.
- The company only has one stock class, called Stock A, which offers one vote per share.
As of February 2024, Netflix had 441,537,000 shares outstanding. This was considerably less than competitors such as Amazon, Warner Bros Discovery, and Walt Disney. However, Netflix had significantly more outstanding shares than some other rivals, such as AMC Networks.
At the time of writing, Netflix had a market capitalization of about $242.91 billion, with its share price trading at approximately $558.5.
Netflix only has one share class, called Stock A, with each share getting one vote. The company has gone through two stock splits, a 2:1 split on February 12, 2004, and a 7:1 split on July 15, 2015.
Netflix does not currently pay a dividend.
Coming to who owns the most Netflix stock, ownership is divided amongst a number of major institutional holders and asset managers such as the Vanguard Group and BlackRock, as well as insiders such as co-founder Reed Hastings and members of the top management.
As of February 12, 2024, there were about 2,868 institutions holding Netflix shares, according to Yahoo Finance, with about 84.65% of outstanding shares held by them.
Insiders accounted for about 1.38% of outstanding shares.
Top 5 Institutional Shareholders
The Vanguard Group – 36,260,284 Shares – 8.38%
The Vanguard Group was one of Netflix’s largest shareholders, owning 36,260,284 shares as of September 29, 2023. These were valued at about $20,252,457,484, making up around 8.38% of Netflix shares outstanding.
With its headquarters in Malvern, Pennsylvania, the Vanguard Group is one of today’s top asset management firms globally. It was founded in 1975 by John C Bogle, who was also the company’s former chairman and is reported to have come up with the first index fund for individual investors.
Currently, the Vanguard Group offers a range of products and services such as asset management, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), stockbroker services, mutual funds, and index funds.
BlackRock – 29,970,188 Shares – 6.93%
BlackRock, another major owner of Netflix, held about 29,970,188 shares as of September 29, 2023, worth about $16,739,249,981. This accounted for about 6.93% of outstanding shares.
Headquartered in New York City, United States, the company is one of the Big Three asset managers, along with the Vanguard Group and State Street Corporation.
BlackRock was founded by eight founders in 1988: Susan Wagner, Keith Anderson, Larry Fink, Ben Golub, Robert S, Kapito, Ralph Schlosstein, Hugh Frater, and Barbara Novick.
With its assets rising to about $9.42 trillion as of 30 June 2023, the company was 229th on the Fortune 500 2023 list by revenue. Currently, BlackRock primarily offers investment management, portfolio construction, capital markets, and data and analytics services.
Fidelity Investments – 22,384,548 Shares – 5.17%
Fidelity Investments, also one of Netflix’s largest shareholders, held about 22,384,548 shares as of September 29, 2023. This was valued at around $12,502,442,250 and clocked in at approximately 5.17% of outstanding shares.
Based in Boston, Massachusetts, Fidelity Investments was originally founded as Fidelity Management and Research in 1946. Abigail Johnson is the current Chief Executive Officer.
Currently, the company offers mutual funds, annuities, pension plans, retirement services, exchange-traded funds, life insurance, and investment funds.
For more everyday banking needs, it also provides credit cards and checking accounts.
State Street Corporation – 16,277,017 Shares – 3.76%
State Street Corporation owned 16,277,017 shares as of September 29, 2023, which is about 3.76% of its outstanding stock worth $9,091,202,781.
Also headquartered in Massachusetts, the company was founded in 1792. The bank was originally named after State Street in Boston, called the “Great Street to the Sea” back when Boston was a maritime capital in the 18th century.
Being the largest custodian bank in the world, State Street’s assets under management came up to about $3.7 trillion in 2023, with about $40 trillion under administration and custody. Currently, it mainly provides foreign exchange, trading, fixed income, and derivatives services.
T. Rowe Price Associates – 12,330,949 Shares – 2.85%
Rowe Price Associates also owned about 12,330,949 shares as of September 29, 2023, coming in at about $6,887,205,306 and making up approximately 2.85% of outstanding shares.
Rob Sharps is the company’s Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Jen Dardis is T. Rowe’s Chief Financial Officer.
The company was founded in 1937 and had over $1.6 trillion of assets under management in 2020, with around $6.2 billion in revenue.
Currently, it offers retirement services, sub-advisory services, and funds for institutions, individuals, and financial intermediaries. It also offers mutual funds and investment management services.
Top 5 Individual Netflix Shareholders
Reed Hastings – 2,991,541 Shares – 0.67%
Reed Hastings, the co-founder and executive chairman of Netflix, is one of Netflix’s largest individual shareholders, holding about 2,991,541 shares as of February 1, 2024. He was also the Netflix CEO for 25 years.
Hastings has been credited for shaping Netflix’s unique culture, which involves no employee vacation and sick time but, instead, allows them to take control of and manage their own time off needs.
Under Hastings’ management approach, dubbed “Freedom and Responsibility”, the company also offers generous severance packages in order to encourage commitment, innovation, and consistency.
Back in 1991, Hastings founded Pure Software, which was later taken over by Rational Software in 1997. From 2000 to 2004, he was also on the California State Board of Education.
Currently, he is also on the board of many other organizations, such as The City Fund, Pahara, KIPP, and Bloomberg.
Leslie J. Kilgore – 35,196 Shares – 0.007%
Leslie J. Kilgore is a member of Netflix’s audit committee. As of August 26, 2020, she held 35,196 Netflix shares, according to GuruFocus.
From 2000 to 2012, she was Netflix’s Chief Marketing Officer. She was also the Director of Marketing at Amazon from February 1999 to March 2000. Previously, she was one of Procter & Gamble’s brand managers from August 1992 to February 1999.
From 2015 to 2023, Kilgore has also been on Nextdoor Holdings’ board. Currently, she is also on Pinterest’s compensation and audit committees, as well as the company’s board.
Kilgore has a B.S. from The Wharton School of Business and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.
David A. Hyman – 31,610 Shares – 0.007%
David A. Hyman is the Chief Legal Officer of Netflix. As of January 24, 2024, he held about 31,610 shares of the company.
Having joined Netflix in 2002, he oversees all public policy and legal matters concerning Netflix and is also the company’s secretary.
Previously, Hyman was Webvan’s General Counsel and served as a senior corporate counsel. Before that, he had been at Arent Fox and Morrison & Foerster.
Hyman has a Bachelor’s and JD degrees from the University of Virginia.
Gregory K. Peters – 13,090 Shares – 0.002%
Netflix’s co-CEO, Gregory K. Peters, is another key person who owns Netflix, with about 13,090 shares as of January 26, 2024.
He joined Netflix in 2008 and became the co-CEO with Ted Sarandas in January 2023.
Before this, he was the company’s Chief Product Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and International Development Officer.
Earlier, he was Macrovision Solution Corp’s Senior Vice President and worked at Red Hat Network, Metabolic, and Wine.com.
Currently, he is also on DoorDash’s board.
Bradford L. Smith – 6,499 Shares – 0.001%
Brad Smith has served as one of Netflix’s directors since March 2015. Reportedly, he owns 6,499 NFLX shares as of August 8, 2019.
Besides being a member of Netflix’s board of directors, Smith holds the position of Vice Chair and President at Microsoft, leading the company’s work in a number of critical areas, such as privacy, security, accessibility, environmental sustainability, and digital inclusion.
Smith holds a B.A. in international relations and economics from Princeton University and a J.D. from Columbia University School of Law. He also studied international law and economics at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva.
Bonus: Rick Kimball – 29,624,252 Shares – 6.7%
As a bonus, we can’t but mention Rick Kimball, a renowned technology investor and venture capitalist who owned about 29,624,252 shares of Netflix as of January 26, 2004. However, there is no recent publicly available data about his NFLX ownership.
Through his company, Technology Crossover Ventures, Kimball has also funded several other notable companies, such as eHarmony.com, GoDaddy.com, and Shopify.com.
He has also been a director at firms such as Intel and J.P. Morgan Chase.
He is a member of the prestigious Forbes Midas list. Forbes does this as a yearly ranking for the top life sciences and high technology venture capital dealmakers.
The Bottom Line
Netflix is one of the largest and best-known streaming companies in the world. As of February 12, 2024, it has about 441,537,000 outstanding shares, with a share price of about $558.5 and a market capitalization of about $242.91 billion.
It has only one stock class, Stock A, with one vote per share. Several members of the company’s upper management and founders, such as Reed Hastings and Leslie Kilgore, form part of the company’s insider investors.
On the other hand, asset managers such as the Vanguard Group, BlackRock, and State Street Corporation are the biggest institutional investors.
FAQs
Who owns Netflix now?
Is Netflix a public company?
When did Netflix start streaming?
When was Netflix founded?
How many NFTX shares are there?
How many shareholders does Netflix have?
Who owns the most shares of Netflix?
References
- Acquisitions by Netflix (Tracxn)
- Number of shares outstanding for Netflix (NFLX) (Companies Market Cap)
- Stock split history for Netflix (NFLX) (Companies Market Cap)
- Netflix, Inc. (NFLX) (Yahoo)
- Rick Kimball – Net Worth and Insider Trading (Guru Focus)
- Reed Hastings – Net Worth and Insider Trading (Guru Focus)
- Netflix Inc Stock Institutional Ownership and Insider Ownership – NFLX (Guru Focus)
- Netflix, Inc. (NFLX) (Yahoo)