Netflix Stock Bombarded by Option Traders Following Earnings

Meanwhile, the equity has tumbled to its lowest level in nearly a month

Deputy Editor
Oct 21, 2020 at 11:14 AM
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Stay-at-home staple Netflix Inc (NASDAQ:NFLX) stepped into the earnings confessional yesterday evening, reporting third-quarter earnings that came in at $1.74 per share, well below Wall Street's $2.14 forecast. Revenue, however, came in above analysts' estimates, despite the fact that the company is experiencing its weakest subscriber growth in four years. As a result, NFLX is down 5%, last seen trading at $499.

Despite this, no less than nine analysts raised their price targets -- the biggest of which came from Piper Sandler, to $630 from $534. Several analysts were on the other side of the fence, though, including Benchmark, which cut its target price to $380 from $420. Coming into today, 17 out of 27 covering NFLX considered it a "buy" or better, with the remaining 10 calling the stock a "hold" or worse. Netflix's 12-month consensus price target of $453.20 is a 10.8% premium to current levels. 

This negative price actions has resulted in the stock tumbling below the $500 level for the first time since Sept. 30. Last time we checked in one the equity, Netflix stock had a solid layer of support in place in the form of its 80-day moving average; however, it just fell from this advantageous position, and is now on pace to close below the trendline for the first time since Sept. 25.

Today's option pits are popping with activity. In just the first hour of trading, 58,000 calls and 40,000 puts have exchanged hands -- six times the intraday average and volume pacing in the highest percentile of its annual range. Most popular is the weekly 10/23 500-strike put, followed closely by the 490-strike put from the same series, with positions opening up at both.

 

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