Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) Given New $1,150.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX - Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley from $1,050.00 to $1,150.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "overweight" rating on the Internet television network's stock. Morgan Stanley's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 32.23% from the stock's current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Netflix from $725.00 to $920.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. StockNews.com upgraded Netflix from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, December 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Netflix from $1,000.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Guggenheim boosted their price target on Netflix from $825.00 to $950.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $1,175.00 price objective (up previously from $1,000.00) on shares of Netflix in a report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, twenty-six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $952.30.

Netflix Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:NFLX opened at $869.68 on Wednesday. Netflix has a 52 week low of $479.90 and a 52 week high of $941.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13. The company has a market cap of $371.75 billion, a PE ratio of 49.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.27. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $885.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $760.81.

Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 21st. The Internet television network reported $4.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.20 by $0.07. Netflix had a return on equity of 35.86% and a net margin of 20.70%. The company had revenue of $10.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10,141,900 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.11 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Netflix will post 19.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Netflix

In other news, Director Richard N. Barton sold 5,698 shares of Netflix stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $756.00, for a total transaction of $4,307,688.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 246 shares in the company, valued at approximately $185,976. The trade was a 95.86 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Reed Hastings sold 35,868 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $888.08, for a total transaction of $31,853,653.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 114 shares of the company's stock, valued at $101,241.12. This trade represents a 99.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 152,198 shares of company stock worth $127,616,898. 1.76% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Netflix in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. boosted its position in 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 valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new stake in Netflix during the fourth quarter worth about $43,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Netflix in the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Netflix during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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