Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) Shares Up 1% - Should You Buy?

Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX - Get Free Report) shares rose 1% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $927.18 and last traded at $903.95. Approximately 2,265,139 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 33% from the average daily volume of 3,382,796 shares. The stock had previously closed at $895.10.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays upgraded Netflix from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $715.00 to $900.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price objective on shares of Netflix from $800.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Macquarie raised their target price on shares of Netflix from $965.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Netflix from $850.00 to $960.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $1,150.00 price objective (up previously from $950.00) on shares of Netflix in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,014.26.

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Netflix Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $395.45 billion, a PE ratio of 46.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.38. 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 stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $949.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $845.26.

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

Insider Transactions at Netflix

In other news, CAO Jeffrey William Karbowski sold 160 shares of Netflix stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,000.00, for a total transaction of $160,000.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Reed Hastings sold 35,868 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $888.08, for a total value 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 represents a 99.68 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 288,103 shares of company stock valued at $279,142,041 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.76% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Netflix

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in Netflix by 22.7% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 848,150 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $760,918,000 after acquiring an additional 156,958 shares in the last quarter. Haven Private LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Netflix in the 4th quarter valued at about $733,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Netflix by 1.2% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,579,404 shares of the Internet television network's stock worth $1,829,494,000 after purchasing an additional 29,726 shares during the last quarter. Sigma Planning Corp lifted its position in shares of Netflix by 7.4% during the fourth quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 5,572 shares of the Internet television network's stock worth $4,966,000 after purchasing an additional 386 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC grew its stake in Netflix by 2.0% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 612,458 shares of the Internet television network's stock worth $434,398,000 after purchasing an additional 11,921 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is 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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