Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) Releases Q1 2026 Earnings Guidance

Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) updated its first quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 0.760-0.760 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 0.810. The company issued revenue guidance of $12.2 billion-$12.2 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $12.2 billion. Netflix also updated its FY 2026 guidance to EPS.

Netflix Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of NFLX stock traded down $0.95 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $87.05. 104,097,880 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 47,457,699. Netflix has a 52-week low of $82.11 and a 52-week high of $134.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 1.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $368.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.36 and a beta of 1.71. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $98.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $112.51.

Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The Internet television network reported $5.87 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.96 by ($1.09). Netflix had a net margin of 24.05% and a return on equity of 41.86%. The firm had revenue of $11.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.51 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $5.40 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Netflix will post 24.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on NFLX shares. Argus set a $141.00 price objective on shares of Netflix in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. President Capital raised Netflix from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Itau BBA Securities began coverage on Netflix in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $151.40 price objective for the company. Cfra cut Netflix from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $100.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $120.00 target price on Netflix in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have given a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Netflix has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $127.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Netflix news, insider David A. Hyman sold 314,620 shares of Netflix stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.98, for a total transaction of $34,603,166.08. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 316,100 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $34,765,942.40. The trade was a 49.88% 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, insider Cletus R. Willems sold 2,380 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.03, for a total value of $261,878.54. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 1,630,160 shares of company stock worth $171,076,053. 1.37% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

More Netflix News

Here are the key news stories impacting Netflix this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Holiday/streaming momentum and product upgrades — Netflix reported stronger engagement metrics (viewership +10% in recent streaming data) and is testing a “voting” feature, which together signal healthy content-driven growth that could support subscriber and ad revenue beat potential in Q4. Netflix Stock (NFLX) Rises Ahead of Q4 on Streaming Gains, Voting Feature
• Positive Sentiment: Content tailwinds into earnings — Several outlets and analysts point to a strong holiday season (final season of Stranger Things, NFL games, other hits) that could drive upside to engagement, subscriber metrics and ad monetization on the Q4 report. From NFL Games to Stranger Things, Netflix Just Had Its Biggest Holiday Season Ever
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings expectations and event risk — NFLX reports Q4 after the bell with Street estimates (consensus EPS and revenue targets) and options-implied moves near ~7–8%, meaning the stock is set up for a sizeable short-term swing regardless of direction. Traders should expect heightened volatility around the release. Netflix reports earnings after the bell. Here’s what to expect
• Negative Sentiment: All-cash Warner Bros. Discovery bid raises financing and leverage concerns — Netflix amended the deal to an all-cash structure (same headline price) to secure board/shareholder support and fend off Paramount, but that increases near-term cash needs and investor worry about leverage and integration risk. Netflix submits amended all-cash offer for Warner Bros, wins board support
• Negative Sentiment: Debt and financing details emerging — Reports say Netflix has secured more bank debt to fund the amended all-cash offer, a development that can pressure margins/credit metrics and fuel investor concern if earnings or cash flow disappoint. Netflix secures more debt from banks to buy Warner’s assets under new all-cash offer
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst pressure and valuation adjustments — Some firms have trimmed targets and warned the Warner deal could overshadow core growth; KeyBanc cut its price target recently, reflecting near-term uncertainty. KeyBanc cuts PT on Netflix, Inc. (NFLX) to $110 from $139
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling noted — Recent director-level share sales have been flagged by filings; while not uncommon, insider disposals can add to negative sentiment ahead of a major earnings and M&A moment. Insider Selling: Netflix Director Sells $2.8M in Stock

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Netflix

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of NFLX. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Netflix by 21.2% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,406 shares of the Internet television network’s stock worth $1,883,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its position in shares of Netflix by 12.1% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 2,115 shares of the Internet television network’s stock worth $2,832,000 after acquiring an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Netflix by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,390 shares of the Internet television network’s stock worth $4,804,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares during the period. iSAM Funds UK Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Netflix in the 3rd quarter valued at about $927,000. Finally, Polymer Capital Management US LLC bought a new stake in shares of Netflix in the third quarter valued at about $482,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Netflix

Netflix, Inc (NASDAQ: NFLX) is a global entertainment company that provides subscription-based streaming of films, television series, documentaries and other video content. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph and headquartered in Los Gatos, California, the company began as a DVD-by-mail rental service and introduced streaming video in 2007. Netflix later expanded into producing and distributing original programming, beginning notable original hits in the 2010s, and now operates a content production and distribution ecosystem alongside its licensing activity.

The company’s primary product is its on-demand streaming service, which can be accessed on a wide range of internet-connected devices and delivered through a suite of apps and web platforms.