Wall Street was electrified by Netflix's hefty earnings beat and subscriber growth, especially in overseas markets. The Street's top analysts were largely bullish in the wake of the report, pushing the stock even higher in premarket trading Tuesday. They were also largely relieved that the subscriber miss in the prior quarter and subsequent stock plunge was just a blip.
As of the latest reading, the stock rose 13 percent before the bell Wednesday. Here's what analysts thought of Netflix's financial performance.
Analyst Nat Schindler raises his price target to $440 from $410, implying 27 percent upside.
"Stellar third quarter, net subscriber adds well above the Street. ... Netflix came in above on both U.S. and international net subscriber adds, with 1.09 million U.S. and 5.87 million intl vs. consensus estimates of 657,000 and 4.39 million. International net add growth was noted to be broad based, with Asia highlighted as a key area of strength. Additionally, the fourth-quarter net add guide of 9.4 million implies total subscribers of 146.5 million by year-end 2018, which is above our pre-2Q'18 forecast of 142.6 million subscribers. In effect, 3Q net adds and the 4Q guide erase the 2Q'18 miss, and returns Netflix's growth trajectory to where it had been earlier this year. Profitability remains healthy."
"Netflix third-quarter results exceeded consensus expectations in both the US and International segments as the correlation between content spend and subscriber net adds strengthened for the sixth consecutive quarter. Fourth-quarter guidance far exceeded consensus expectations, reflecting the strength of the content line-up through year-end, amplification from newer distribution partnerships and growth in the addressable audience, particularly in earlier stage mobile-first markets. As Netflix subscriber adds continue to exceed expectations and it approaches an inflection point in cash profitability following the current investment period in advance of the loss of Disney content late next year, we believe shares of Netflix will continue to significantly outperform."
"Against a wave of idiosyncratic fears, Netflix overall operating performance will allow Netflix bulls to 'win the day.' In analyzing the results, we were most constructive on domestic trends (clearly signs of any domestic maturation are still not showing in results). In the international business, we expect subscriber beat and guide to be the focus of investors in driving the stock to recover from recent underperformance. Looking at commentary for fourth-quarter 2018 and fiscal year 2019, we don't see much in the way of positive changes to operating estimates."
"Overall, we believe third-quarter results and the fourth quarter guide indicate that Netflix is back on track. While quarters can be lumpy, the bigger picture path is consistent, and we continue to believe there is significant growth potential ahead, with Netflix on track to have 200 million global subscribers in 2020-2021. Pushback may come from some who view Netflix estimates as merely returning to their six months ago levels and with the stock appreciating about 25 percent during that time, well ahead of the S&P 500's 5 percent and most other tech names. That could curb some of the additional near-term upside beyond the 11 percent after-market move, but we believe content is strong into the fourth quarter and 2019, and Netflix could again deliver more net adds next year than this year, particularly as India and Japan gain greater traction."
"After the second quarter shortfall vs. guidance, third quarter's outperformance reminds us that the long-term trend is clear. Netflix has built something new, a truly global vertically integrated content production and distribution business. But more importantly, it has consistently reinvested its near-term success into deepening its competitive moat. This reinvestment consistency, along with a focus on its core business, has allowed it to find success - creative and financial - in widely diverse markets around the world. Netflix aims for steady margin improvement, and reinvests any upside back into the business to maximize the long-term opportunity."
— CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed reporting.
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