The figures are impressive: 130 million paying customers as of September, $14.9 billion in revenue in the last 12 months, $1.3 billion in profit and 7.6 million new paid subscribers expected in the last quarter of 2018. This has led Wall Street's analysts to take a bullish stance, pushing its shares higher. The stock rose 6 percent after the publication of the results on October 17.

Barclays (Overweight). "Netflix: Nailed it (…) Management indicated that even their most popular shows tend to be low single digit percentage of hours viewed which implies dependence on individuals shows isn't material which may be offsetting the impact of major shows missing from the fourth quarter." Barclays’ price target went up to $430 from $415.

Analysts at Jefferies (Hold) said the results reversed course from a largely underwhelming second quarter. “ Netflix shifted the narrative, posting record total 3Q net adds of 7.0M (guidance of 5.0M) - largely a function of better-than-expected acquisition. While mgmt downplayed the impact of a lack of "hit" shows in 2Q, 3Q results were materially stronger with a more robust release schedule both domestically and internationally.” However, it said that “F/X remains a headwind for int'l ASP, and 4Q contribution margins will come under pressure with a more robust release schedule (particularly films) which will drive greater amort. / content spend - not thesis changing.” Jefferies's price target increased to $350 from $320.

Goldman Sachs (Buy) says that the results “exceeded consensus expectations in both the US and International segments as the correlation between content spend and subscriber net adds strengthened for the sixth consecutive quarter (…) As Netflix subscriber adds continue to exceed expectations and it approaches an inflection point in cash profitability following the current investment period in advance of the loss of Disney content late next year, we believe shares of Netflix will continue to significantly outperform." Goldman Sachs 's price target now reaches $480, up from $430.

J.P. Morgan (Overweight). "Overall, we believe third-quarter results and the fourth quarter guide indicate that Netflix is back on track. While quarters can be lumpy, the bigger picture path is consistent, and we continue to believe there is significant growth potential ahead, with Netflix on track to have 200 million global subscribers in 2020-2021.” It adds that “Netflix could again deliver more net adds next year than this year, particularly as India and Japan gain greater traction." J.P. Morgan’s price target improved to $450 from $415.

Morgan Stanley (Buy). Analysts at Morgan Stanley said that Netflix has “consistently reinvested its near-term success into deepening its competitive moat. This reinvestment consistency, along with a focus on its core business, has allowed it to find success - creative and financial - in widely diverse markets around the world. Netflix aims for steady margin improvement, and reinvests any upside back into the business to maximize the long-term opportunity." It set its price target at $450.

Nomura Instinet (Neutral). It says that “revenue was in line with the outlook, and EBITDA was moderately ahead. Earnings per share also saw benefits of over $45 million from Eurobond remeasurement and tax reform impacts. Management noted an increased focus on owned original first-run content, which has the potential to lower costs by avoiding third-party licensing markups." Nomura Instinet’s price target remains steady at $370.

Analysts at Wedbush were more cautious. They maintained their underperform rating, warning that they “see clouds on the horizon”. It says: “Disney and Fox are likely to migrate content that is currently licensed to Netflix to a Disney-sponsored standalone service next year. This subjects the company to the potential for slowing subscriber growth should its original content offering fail to achieve the quality and quantity of the lost content.”