Why Netflix Earnings Are So Great

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By Chris Lange Updated Published
Why Netflix Earnings Are So Great

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Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) reported first-quarter financial results after markets closed Monday. The company said that it had $0.64 in earnings per share (EPS) on $3.70 billion in revenue, compared with consensus estimates from Thomson Reuters that called for $0.64 in EPS on $3.69 billion in revenue. The same period of last year had $0.40 in EPS on $2.64 billion in revenue.

During the first quarter, global net adds totaled a new first-quarter record of 7.41 million, up 50% year over year and ahead of the firm’s 6.35 million forecast. In the United States, Netflix added 1.96 million memberships (compared with a forecast of 1.45 million). Internationally, the firm added 5.46 million memberships.

Note that Netflix now has a total of 125 million total memberships worldwide.

Netflix completed its price adjustment during this past quarter, resulting in 12% average selling price growth for the domestic segment. Another highlight from this report is that the international segment now accounts for 50% of revenue and 55% of memberships.

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Looking ahead to the second quarter, the company is calling for $0.79 in EPS on $3.93 billion in revenue. At the same time, the company is expecting to see net adds of 6.2 million. There are consensus estimates calling for $0.64 in EPS on $3.69 billion in revenue.

Free cash flow in the first quarter was −$287 million (less negative than expected due to content payment timing differences), compared with −$524 million in the fourth quarter. On the books, Netflix has cash and cash equivalents of $2.59 billion at the end of the quarter, versus $2.82 billion at the end of the previous fiscal year.

Shares of Netflix closed Monday at $307.78, with a consensus analyst price target of $286.62 and a 52-week range of $138.66 to $333.98. Following the announcement, the stock was up 7% at $329.72 in Monday’s after-hours session.

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Photo of Chris Lange
About the Author Chris Lange →

Chris Lange is a writer for 24/7 Wall St., based in Houston. He has covered financial markets over the past decade with an emphasis on healthcare, tech, and IPOs. During this time, he has published thousands of articles with insightful analysis across these complex fields. Currently, Lange's focus is on military and geopolitical topics.

Lange's work has been quoted or mentioned in Forbes, The New York Times, Business Insider, USA Today, MSN, Yahoo, The Verge, Vice, The Intelligencer, Quartz, Nasdaq, The Motley Fool, Fox Business, International Business Times, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Barron’s, Benzinga, and many other major publications.

A graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, Lange majored in business with a particular focus on investments. He has previous experience in the banking industry and startups.

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