Netflix is less than a week away from issuing its third-quarter results, and some analysts think the stock is poised for more upside ahead. The streaming giant’s quarterly report is due next Thursday after the market close. The stock is having a strong 2024, surging nearly 50%. “We believe Netflix is the main beneficiary of industry rationalization and expect strong 3Q results,” UBS analyst John Hodulik wrote in a Wednesday note to clients, adding that subscriber growth is anticipated to ease year over year but “remain solid.” With a buy rating on the stock, Hodulik’s target of $750 implies more than 2% upside from Thursday’s close. “We expect 4Q commentary to suggest strong sub performance (last qtr net adds will be disclosed), helped by Squid Game 2 and two NFL games (UBSe 7.1M adds vs. 5.8M prior; 13.1M in 4Q23),” the analyst continued. Additionally, he expects free cash flow to increase $2.9 billion from 2024 to 2025. Hodulik’s forecast of double-digit growth comes as Netflix has already reported stronger-than-expected results for the previous two quarters this year. The streaming giant saw advertising-supported memberships grow 34% in the second quarter and total memberships rise 16% in the first quarter . NFLX YTD mountain NFLX, year-to-date Other analysts are even more bullish on the name heading into earnings. In fact, both Morgan Stanley and Oppenheimer increased their price targets on the media giant, with the former setting its target at $820 and the latter raising it to $775. That implies an upside of more than 12% and more than 6%, respectively. Morgan Stanley analyst Benjamin Swinburne, who reiterated his overweight rating on the stock, thinks there is “a long runway for revenue growth.” On that front, the analyst sees at least 13% revenue growth in 2025. At Oppenheimer, analyst Jed Kelly and his team have an outperform rating on the stock and likewise expect strong third-quarter results. Not only that, but the analyst also thinks the company will raise the prices for its standard plan by 8% to 15% and announce an increase for its premium plan for regions outside the U.S., United Kingdom and France. “We believe NFLX’s dominance will continue, given its clear advantage in producing high-engagement content and monetizing that content more effectively than peers,” Kelly wrote in a note to clients this week. By comparison, 33 of the 48 analysts covering the stock on Wall Street have a strong buy or buy rating, according to LSEG. On the other hand, 13 have taken a neutral stance. Netflix has an average target of $708.75, implying about 3% downside, as of Thursday’s close.
