Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) Shares Up 1.3% - Should You Buy?

Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX - Get Free Report)'s stock price rose 1.3% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $1,162.57 and last traded at $1,152.52. Approximately 1,465,647 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 61% from the average daily volume of 3,719,801 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,137.69.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on NFLX. Arete Research raised shares of Netflix to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on shares of Netflix from $1,150.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Netflix from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Netflix from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Netflix from $1,025.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-six have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,084.91.

Netflix Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $490.58 billion, a PE ratio of 57.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.58. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $974.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $925.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.22.

Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The Internet television network reported $6.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.74 by $0.87. Netflix had a net margin of 22.34% and a return on equity of 38.32%. The firm had revenue of $10.54 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.51 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $8.28 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Netflix, Inc. will post 24.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Chairman Reed Hastings sold 25,360 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $921.15, for a total value of $23,360,364.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 394 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $362,933.10. This trade represents a 98.47 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Strive Masiyiwa sold 2,813 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,007.87, for a total transaction of $2,835,138.31. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 137,451 shares of company stock valued at $142,194,072. Insiders own 1.76% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Netflix

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NFLX. Fullcircle Wealth LLC grew its stake in Netflix by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Fullcircle Wealth LLC now owns 369 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $344,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. West Michigan Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Netflix by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. West Michigan Advisors LLC now owns 776 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $692,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Warwick Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Netflix by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Warwick Investment Management Inc. now owns 298 shares of the Internet television network's stock worth $266,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. MRP Capital Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Netflix by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. MRP Capital Investments LLC now owns 1,052 shares of the Internet television network's stock worth $938,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bedell Frazier Investment Counselling LLC increased its holdings in Netflix by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Bedell Frazier Investment Counselling LLC now owns 462 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $412,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. 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.

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