Netflix: Honestly, What Are We Even Doing?

So, earnings season. It’s coming. Like a persistent telemarketer. Netflix (NFLX 0.67%) kicks it off next Tuesday. January 20th. Fine. Whatever. Except, the stock has gone down. 28% since the last report. Twenty-eight percent! It’s just…rude. Like they’re personally offended by my portfolio. And now everyone’s getting all worked up. Buying, selling. It’s exhausting. Honestly, the whole thing feels…off.

They reported revenue of $11.5 billion last quarter. Seventeen percent growth. Not terrible. But the operating margin…28.2%. Wall Street wanted 31.5%. Thirty-one-point-five! It’s like they’re expecting perfection. And now everyone’s hyper-focused on this margin. It’s a margin! It’s not a moral failing. They gave guidance, of course. More numbers. More expectations. It’s just…a lot.

Category Q4 2025 FY 2025
Revenue $11.9 billion $45.1 billion
Earnings per share (EPS) $5.45 $25.12
Operating margin 23.9% 29.3%

Look, I get it. Analysts need something to obsess over. But this margin thing…it feels like they’re nitpicking. It’s like complaining about the font size on a perfectly good email. And now, this Warner Bros. Discovery deal. A bidding war! With Paramount Skydance. It’s just…unnecessary drama. Why can’t things ever be simple? The stock is down because of this…this potential deal. It’s like penalizing a company for thinking about making a purchase. It’s absurd.

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Everyone’s talking about how this acquisition could change things. Integrate content. Intellectual property. It’s all very…corporate. I’m more concerned about the logistics. The paperwork. The meetings. The endless stream of emails. And the financing! How are they going to pay for all this? It’s just…a mess waiting to happen.

Should You Buy? Honestly?

I generally advise against timing the market. It’s a fool’s errand. A complete waste of time. Long-term investors shouldn’t be bothered by short-term fluctuations. But…this feels different. This feels…wrong. The sell-off is overdone. It’s an emotional reaction. People are panicking. And I, for one, am not going to participate in this irrational exuberance…or, rather, irrational pessimism.

I suspect they’ll report solid revenue and earnings next week. They always do. The real question is this Warner Bros. Discovery thing. It’s going to dominate the Q&A session, I guarantee it. But I’m cautiously optimistic. If they can pull this off, it could be a game-changer. More content. More subscribers. More…everything. I’m not saying it’s a sure thing. But it’s worth a look.

I envision Netflix becoming a cultural behemoth. Not just a streaming service, but a lifestyle brand. Merchandising. Brand deals. Entertainment. The works. It’s ambitious, I know. But someone has to think big. And frankly, I’m tired of watching these short-sighted investors drive the price down.

So, yes. I think now is a good time to buy Netflix stock. Scoop it up while it’s down. Hold onto it for the long term. And then, maybe, just maybe, we can all stop obsessing over margins and bidding wars and just enjoy a decent show. Is that too much to ask?

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2026-01-16 01:23