Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-five research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have issued a hold recommendation and twenty-four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $764.82.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. China Renaissance started coverage on Netflix in a report on Thursday, September 5th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $680.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Netflix from $758.00 to $797.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Macquarie reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $795.00 price target on shares of Netflix in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Pivotal Research boosted their price target on Netflix from $925.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $750.00 price target on Netflix in a research note on Friday, October 18th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Netflix

In related news, Chairman Reed Hastings sold 25,074 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $680.92, for a total value of $17,073,388.08. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 85 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $57,878.20. This trade represents a 99.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Anne M. Sweeney sold 589 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $880.00, for a total value of $518,320.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 185,866 shares of company stock valued at $133,393,921 over the last quarter. 1.76% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp raised its stake in Netflix by 2.6% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,951,347 shares of the Internet television network’s stock valued at $12,023,082,000 after buying an additional 426,740 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Netflix by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,148,356 shares of the Internet television network’s stock worth $6,464,736,000 after purchasing an additional 123,029 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its stake in shares of Netflix by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 6,990,874 shares of the Internet television network’s stock worth $4,958,417,000 after purchasing an additional 316,594 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Netflix by 116,620.0% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 5,753,129 shares of the Internet television network’s stock worth $4,080,522,000 after buying an additional 5,748,200 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Netflix by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,897,389 shares of the Internet television network’s stock worth $3,473,571,000 after buying an additional 23,702 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Netflix Price Performance

Shares of Netflix stock opened at $897.79 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $755.40 and a 200-day moving average price of $691.50. Netflix has a one year low of $445.73 and a one year high of $908.00. 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 stock has a market cap of $383.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.25.

Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 17th. The Internet television network reported $5.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.09 by $0.31. Netflix had a return on equity of 35.86% and a net margin of 20.70%. The company had revenue of $9.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.77 billion. Equities analysts expect that Netflix will post 19.78 EPS for the current year.

About Netflix

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.