Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) Raised to "Buy" at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Saturday.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on NFLX. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Netflix from $590.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Netflix from $780.00 to $800.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Netflix from $725.00 to $920.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $750.00 price target on Netflix in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $950.00 price objective (up from $800.00) on shares of Netflix in a report on Monday, November 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and twenty-four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $807.70.

Netflix Stock Performance

NASDAQ:NFLX traded up $7.01 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $909.05. The stock had a trading volume of 4,502,215 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,612,703. The stock has a market cap of $388.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.27. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $832.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $728.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13. Netflix has a 12-month low of $461.86 and a 12-month high of $941.75.

Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 17th. The Internet television network reported $5.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.09 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $9.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.77 billion. Netflix had a net margin of 20.70% and a return on equity of 35.86%. On average, research analysts forecast that Netflix will post 19.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Anne M. Sweeney sold 589 shares of Netflix stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $880.00, for a total transaction of $518,320.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Chairman Reed Hastings sold 45,290 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $706.16, for a total value of $31,981,986.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 85 shares of the company's stock, valued at $60,023.60. The trade was a 99.81 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 164,977 shares of company stock valued at $129,317,467. 1.76% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Netflix

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Independent Solutions Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Netflix by 10.8% in the 3rd quarter. Independent Solutions Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,131 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $1,512,000 after acquiring an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. SMART Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Netflix in the third quarter worth about $414,000. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC increased its holdings in shares of Netflix by 20.0% in the third quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 291,259 shares of the Internet television network's stock worth $206,581,000 after purchasing an additional 48,538 shares during the last quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Netflix by 5.2% in the third quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 1,931 shares of the Internet television network's stock worth $1,370,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas bought a new position in Netflix during the third quarter valued at approximately $21,594,000. Hedge funds and other 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.