Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) Trading 3.1% Higher – What’s Next?

Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX)’s share price traded up 3.1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $961.30 and last traded at $958.62. 2,098,780 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 39% from the average session volume of 3,430,240 shares. The stock had previously closed at $929.98.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Phillip Securities lowered shares of Netflix from a “hold” rating to a “moderate sell” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Arete Research upgraded shares of Netflix to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Needham & Company LLC lifted their price target on shares of Netflix from $800.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Netflix from $1,000.00 to $1,175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Pivotal Research lifted their price target on shares of Netflix from $1,100.00 to $1,250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Netflix presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,016.78.

Netflix Price Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $953.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $853.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $406.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.92, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.38.

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

Insider Activity at Netflix

In other Netflix news, Chairman Reed Hastings sold 30,485 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $981.92, for a total value of $29,933,831.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 394 shares in the company, valued at approximately $386,876.48. This trade represents a 98.72 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Jeffrey William Karbowski sold 160 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,000.00, for a total value of $160,000.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 288,103 shares of company stock worth $279,142,041. Company insiders own 1.76% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Netflix

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NFLX. Swedbank AB boosted its stake in Netflix by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 465,208 shares of the Internet television network’s stock valued at $329,958,000 after buying an additional 8,024 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Netflix by 13.3% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,692,563 shares of the Internet television network’s stock valued at $1,200,485,000 after acquiring an additional 198,148 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its stake in shares of Netflix by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 70,276 shares of the Internet television network’s stock valued at $49,844,000 after purchasing an additional 4,348 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Netflix by 191.8% in the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 2,760 shares of the Internet television network’s stock worth $1,958,000 after purchasing an additional 1,814 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Netflix during the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

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.