NFLX Earnings: Accelerating revenue growth with 16% YoY increase in Q4
NFLX Financial Analysis
Analysis Date: 1/22/2025
Business Model
Netflix generates revenue primarily through paid streaming memberships across different geographic regions and plans including ad-supported and standard tiers
Revenue Sources
- Streaming subscriptions (primary revenue source)
- Advertising revenue from ad-supported tier
Revenue Distribution by Channel
- UCAN (US & Canada): $4,517M (44% of revenue)
- EMEA: $3,288M (32% of revenue)
- LATAM: $1,230M (12% of revenue)
- APAC: $1,212M (12% of revenue)
Income Statement Analysis
- Revenue grew 16% YoY driven by 15.9% growth in paid memberships and 1% growth in ARM
- Operating margin expanded to 22.2% from 16.9% YoY showing strong operating leverage
- Net income nearly doubled YoY due to strong revenue growth and margin expansion
Balance Sheet Analysis
- Strong balance sheet with $9.6B in cash and investments
- Content assets grew modestly by 2.5% YoY to $32.5B
- Stockholders equity increased 20.2% YoY despite $6.3B in share repurchases
Cash Flow Analysis
- Generated $1.4B in free cash flow despite increased content investments
- Full year 2024 free cash flow of $6.9B unchanged from 2023
- Returned $6.3B to shareholders through share repurchases in 2024
Capital Allocation
Netflix maintains a balanced capital allocation strategy focused on content investment ($18B planned for 2025), strategic investments in advertising and gaming capabilities, and returning excess cash to shareholders through share repurchases ($6.3B in 2024 with new $15B authorization)
Management Commentary
Record Q4 net additions of 19M paid memberships
Ad-supported tier gaining traction with >55% of sign-ups in ads countries
Expected to double advertising revenue again in 2025
Foreign exchange headwinds impacting 2025 revenue outlook by ~$1B
Overall Sentiment: Highly positive with strong execution across key strategic priorities and continued momentum in core business metrics
Recommendation
Rating: Buy
Reason for Rating: Strong execution, expanding margins and multiple growth vectors support continued outperformance
Disclaimer: This analysis is based on company filings and public information. It is for informational purposes only and not financial advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
Generated on: 1/22/2025, 10:10:58 PM