Pivotal Research Group and Raymond James hiked their price targets this morning
Streaming concern Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) is higher in early trading after receiving its second $500 price target this week. Pivotal Research Group raised its price target to $500 from $420 -- matching GBH Insights' target from earlier this week -- citing expectations for a strong second quarter, while adding that the recent AT&T-Time Warner deal could hinder HBO's ability to compete in the streaming business. In response, the FAANG stock is slightly higher at $417.57, earlier hitting a record high of $423.21.
The positive analyst notes don't end there, however, as Raymond James hiked its price target on the streaming name by a whopping $100 to $465. As of yesterday, 19 of the 33 analysts following the stock sported "buy" or better ratings. Netflix stock has been a long-term outperformer on the charts, and despite Citron Research's negative outlook, the tech concern has gained almost 170% year-over-year.
Options traders have been bullish, with data from the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) showing the security with a 10-day call/put volume ratio of 1.54, ranking in the 79th percentile of its annual range. This means that calls have been purchased over puts at a faster-than-usual clip during the past two weeks.
Lastly, the stock has consistently rewarded premium buyers, per NFLX's lofty Schaeffer's Volatility Scorecard (SVS) ranking of 84 (out of a possible 100). In other words, the stock has made bigger moves on the charts in the past year, relative to what the options market had priced in.