Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) Shares Up 1.2% - What's Next?

Shares of Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX - Get Free Report) shot up 1.2% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $1,059.55 and last traded at $1,052.65. 2,250,737 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 39% from the average session volume of 3,696,118 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,040.34.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NFLX has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Moffett Nathanson reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $1,150.00 target price (up from $1,100.00) on shares of Netflix in a report on Friday, April 18th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Netflix from $1,150.00 to $1,200.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Benchmark reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Netflix in a report on Monday, April 21st. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Netflix from $1,100.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $1,126.00 price objective on shares of Netflix in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $1,072.12.

Netflix Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $468.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.55. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average price of $955.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $904.88.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Netflix

In related news, insider David A. Hyman sold 41,121 shares of Netflix stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $979.01, for a total transaction of $40,257,870.21. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 31,610 shares of the company's stock, valued at $30,946,506.10. This trade represents a 56.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Gregory K. Peters sold 102,228 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $980.74, for a total value of $100,259,088.72. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 12,950 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,700,583. This represents a 88.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 273,855 shares of company stock valued at $267,474,816 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.76% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Netflix by 13.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,692,563 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $1,200,485,000 after buying an additional 198,148 shares in the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its position in Netflix by 13.8% during the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 247 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $175,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Advisory Resource Group boosted its stake in Netflix by 0.7% in the third quarter. Advisory Resource Group now owns 1,746 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $1,238,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC boosted its stake in Netflix by 356.5% in the third quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 13,879 shares of the Internet television network's stock valued at $9,844,000 after acquiring an additional 10,839 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. grew its holdings in Netflix by 1.2% in the third quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 1,515 shares of the Internet television network's stock worth $1,075,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.