Netflix Inc. (NFLX-Q)

Impressed by last week's quarterly results. Cracking down on password sharing is generating more revenue. Innovating by launching ad-supported versions. Geographic expansion. Aggressive investment in content. Has become a big free cashflow story.

Officially classified as a consumer discretionary stock, but he considers it more akin to a utility. A relatively inexpensive indulgence for the value it offers. Difficult macro headwinds would have minimal impact.

It recorded a great quarter last week and last January, but hasn't been immune from this ugly market. But it has made up its recent losses and it up 10.84% this year. They reported a solid revenue beat and monster earnings beat. Also, they didn't sound nervous about the future or the economy. but gave strong guidance for this quarter and reiterated their full-year.

The chart shows a head and shoulders formation. It's a great, worldwide company that's done many things right. Is up only 5% this year. He likes subscription models.

Their edge is their content library. Doesn't pay a dividend, so be disciplined: if you double your money, sell half. Any business news will punish shares. 

(Note the short timeframe.)  Until the last couple of weeks, the media sector has held up extremely well. Perhaps investors are thinking this area is not as impacted by tariffs. Correction Feb/March, but already bouncing back.

He and Lang suggests consumer-oriented stocks with a subscription base that work even in a slowdown: Netflix, Roku and Spotify. Last January, NFLX reported a super quarter, then shares gapped up, but rolled over mid-February with the market. Lang says that was a reset. Shares have been rebounding ever since, now 9% this year. NFLX has resistance at $1,000, but if it breaks that, Lang thinks it can reach $1,250. A momentum indicator--MACD--recently made a bullish crossover. Meanwhile, the Chaikin Money Flow (CMF) is slightly bullish; big buyers are still buying. RSI is starting to bounce after hitting oversold earlier this month, now around 50, so there's a ways to go before being overbought.

Clearly winning the streaming wars, being pulled upward by increasing number of global subscribers. That's driving pricing power. New ad-supported tier, password-sharing crackdown. Investing in original content. Live sports are generating revenue. No dividend.

Increasing cashflow. Sees 23% earnings growth. Shares are down ~15%.

It's now a momentum story, but now very expensive. A great company. He bought a lot of shares during the sell-off a few years ago when competitors like Prime launched. There are better opportunities in gen AI. They've done a great job in live programming (sports).

They plan to buy Formula One's TV rights, and they are in the best position to leverage more than anybody else buying such rights. Hopes it happens. Flawless execution.

Big numbers last night. Challenge with the streamers is that you're only as good as your last hit. Viewership is quite fickle, very hard to keep attention captured over time. Forward PE ~40x, very rich. 

They delivered a blowout Q4: a big revenue beat and EPS, up 102%, strong margins despite expensive shows. cash flow of $1.38 billion, revenue 16% YOY, and 18.91 million new subscribers vs. the expected 10 million. However, guidance was mixed, with the forecast in the current quarter below expectations, but they slightly raised full-year 2025 in revenue and operating margin. They're running circles around the competition. Their hits: Squid Game 2, Carry-On, and NFL on Christmas Day. Their ad-supported tier accounted for 55% of sign-ups in Q4. This has more momentum than he's ever seen.

There may be more value at Disney, but NFLX is a juggernaut with unstoppable momentum. It will go to $1,000. There was 15% quarterly revenue growth in Q3. Every piston is humming: Squid Games 2, live NFL streaming, women's soccer. Considering ad revenue, 2026 will be even better than 2025.

He stopped out of this last May. He pounced in 2022 when it was selling off. He probably should have kept it. Problem is, a lot of positives are baked into the valuation. It's growing revenue this year faster than in any other. It's the second-best year for subscriber growth. Trades at 40x PE. It's a media/ad business. NFLX has all the momentum in the world. This and DIS will work. Streaming will work in 2025, unlike in previous years.

Bearish. We're well into password-crackdown/sharing and the ad tier. Analysts may be pricing in too many good things to this name than can actually happen.