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Jefferies Urges Selectivity in Internet Stocks for 2026 as AI Disruption and Rising Costs pressure Margins

Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) is one of the best growth stocks to buy in 2026. On December 11, Jefferies analyst James Heaney lowered the firm’s price target on Netflix to $134 from $150, while keeping a Buy rating on the shares. Jefferies recommended a selective stance on Internet stocks for 2026. Key headwinds include rising investment costs that threaten profitability and concerns that AI will cut out traditional middlemen, potentially limiting how high stock prices can climb relative to earnings.

In other news, on December 15, Netflix co-CEOs Greg Peters and Ted Sarandos issued a letter to employees confirming that the company’s plan to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery’s TV, film studios, and streaming assets remains unchanged. Netflix initially secured the $72 billion deal earlier in December, structured as a combination of cash and stock with an enterprise value of ~$82.7 billion. This commitment stands despite a subsequent, separate $108.4 billion hostile bid for the entirety of Warner Bros. Discovery made by Paramount Skydance.

The acquisition is expected to add nearly $11 billion in debt to Netflix’s balance sheet, a factor that will be closely monitored as the company works toward a closing timeline of 12 to 18 months. In a major strategic pivot, Netflix announced it will begin releasing Warner Bros. movies in theaters after the deal closes, moving away from its traditional streaming-only model. This shift will require Netflix to build new internal functions for theatrical marketing and global distribution, sectors currently handled by Warner Bros.’ integrated in-house teams.

Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) provides entertainment services. The company offers TV series, documentaries, feature films, and games across various genres and languages.

While we acknowledge the potential of NFLX to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than NFLX and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy Right Now.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.

The $250 Trillion AI Hype is Real. A few years from now, you’ll probably wish you’d bought this stock.

When Jeff Bezos said that one breakthrough technology would shape Amazon’s destiny, even Wall Street’s biggest analysts were caught off guard.

Fast forward a year and Amazon’s new CEO Andy Jassy described generative AI as a “once-in-a-lifetime” technology that is already being used across Amazon to reinvent customer experiences.

At the 8th Future Investment Initiative conference, Elon Musk predicted that by 2040 there would be at least 10 billion humanoid robots, with each priced between $20,000 and $25,000.

Do the math. According to Musk, this technology could be worth $250 trillion by 2040.

Put another way, that’s roughly equal to:

  • 175 Teslas
  • 107 Amazons
  • 140 Metas
  • 84 Googles
  • 65 Microsofts
  • And 55 Nvidias

And here’s the wild part — this $250 trillion wave isn’t tied to one company, but to an entire ecosystem of AI innovators set to reshape the global economy.

It’s a leap so massive, it could reshape how businesses, governments, and consumers operate worldwide.

Even if that $250 trillion figure sounds ambitious, major firms like PwC and McKinsey still see AI unlocking multi-trillion-dollar potential.

How could anything be worth that much?

The answer lies in a breakthrough so powerful it’s redefining how humanity works, learns, and creates.

And this breakthrough has already set off a frenzy among hedge funds and Wall Street’s top investors.

What most investors don’t realize is that one under-owned company holds the key to this $250 trillion revolution.

In fact, Verge argues this company’s supercheap AI technology should concern rivals.

Before I reveal the details, let’s talk about how some of the richest people on the planet are positioning themselves.

  • Bill Gates sees artificial intelligence as the “biggest technological advance in my lifetime,” more transformative than the internet or personal computer, capable of improving healthcare, education, and addressing climate change.
  • Larry Ellison — through Oracle, is spending billions on Nvidia chips and partnering with Cohere to embed generative AI across Oracle’s cloud and apps.
  • Warren Buffett — not known for tech hype — says this breakthrough could have a ‘hugely beneficial social impact.

When billionaires from Silicon Valley to Wall Street line up behind the same idea — you know it’s worth paying attention to.

Even as we admire what Tesla, Nvidia, Alphabet, and Microsoft have built, we believe an even greater opportunity lies elsewhere…

But the real story isn’t Nvidia — it’s a much smaller company quietly improving the critical technology that makes this entire revolution possible.

And judging by what I’m hearing from both Silicon Valley insiders and Wall Street veterans…

This prediction might not be bold at all:

A few years from now, you’ll wish you’d owned this stock.

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