JP Morgan has reiterated its overweight rating on streaming giant Netflix Inc. and raised its stock price target to $495. Analysts at JP Morgan remain bullish heading into second-quarter earnings, which are due next week. The analysts noted that Netflix shares have significantly outperformed the market since the first-quarter earnings report, with a 33% increase compared to an 8% increase in the S&P 500.
Smooth rollout of paid sharing driving revenue and subscriptions
Netflix has smoothly rolled out paid sharing across over 100 markets since late May, which analysts believe will drive incremental revenue, subscriptions, and profit. Global data from Sprinklr, Google Trends, and other third-party sources suggests that there is less noise surrounding this recent rollout compared to the four markets launched in February.
Positive user trends in June
Data from Apptopia indicates that download and daily average user trends for Netflix accelerated in June. Based on this data, analysts predict around 2.4 million net additions for the second quarter. They have revised their previous forecast of 1.0 million net additions to match the company’s own guidance.
Strong growth anticipated for the remainder of the year
Looking ahead, JP Morgan’s analysts expect Netflix’s net additions to increase to 6.75 million in the third quarter and 10 million in the fourth quarter. This would bring the full-year total to 21 million net additions.
Impressive stock performance
Since the start of the year, Netflix’s stock has gained an impressive 51%, outperforming the S&P 500, which has gained 16%.