Citi analyst Mark May downgraded Netflix to Neutral with the stock up 49% since his upgrade on April 10 and 99% year-to-date. May believes more signs of traction in recently launched international markets are needed before shares can reach his upside case of over $950. Further, he points out that the stock has sold off meaningfully following the Q2 and Q3 earnings reports in each of the last three years. May has a $722 price target on the streaming service. Shares of Netflix closed yesterday down $2.58 to $678.61 after billionaire investor Carl Icahn disclosed that he exited his position in the name. Also yesterday, Societe Generale downgraded Netflix to Sell from Buy, saying shares went from undervalued to "pricing perfection."

Canaccord analyst Maria Ripps downgraded Netflix to Hold from Buy with a price target of $585, down from $720.

Check out this evening's top movers from around Wall Street, compiled by The Fly. HIGHER AFTER EARNINGSMetropolitan... To see the rest of the story go to thefly.com. See Story Here

Netflix said in its quarterly letter to investors: "We have built a hard to replicate combination of a strong slate, superior recommendations, broad reach and intense fandom, which drives healthy engagement on Netflix. Improvement in these key areas is the best way to delight our members and continue to grow our business." The company added: "Net cash generated by operating activities in Q1 was $2.2B and free cash flow totaled $2.1B (both flat with Q1'23). During the quarter, we paid down $400M of senior notes with cash on hand and we repurchased 3.6M shares for $2B. We finished the quarter with gross debt of $14B and cash and cash equivalents of $7B. We're still forecasting full year 2024 free cash flow of approximately $6B, assuming no material swings in F/X, and cash content spend of up to $17B."

Pre-earnings options volume in Netflix is 1.1x normal with calls leading puts 5:4. Implied volatility suggests the market is anticipating a move near 7.3%, or $44.89, after results are released. Median move over the past eight quarters is 9.6%.

Netflix (NFLX) is scheduled to report its first quarter 2024 financial results and business outlook on Thursday, April 18. A video interview... To see the rest of the story go to thefly.com. See Story Here