Up 33% Year to Date, Is Netflix Stock Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Netflix has improved earnings trends and operating margins in the first half of the year.

• Forecasts for the third quarter are strong.

• In all, the content lineup for the second half of the year bodes well for viewership.

• 10 stocks we like better than Netflix ›

I'll be honest. A few years back I thought that the rising streaming wars would take the wind out of Netflix's (NASDAQ: NFLX) sails. I could not have been more wrong. The stock has gained 33% year to date (at the time of writing), and outpaced the S&P 500 by 45% over the last five years.

Why was I wrong? Because the company has significantly improved its net income over the last few years, while creating strong forecasts for the coming quarters. It's done this through a blitz of content, and streamlining operations to improve the bottom line.

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Netflix hit a low point in 2022, when revenue dipped to 6.64% growth, and net income fell 12.2% year over year to $4.49 billion. Since then, things are coming back, and it's demonstrated in the share price.

Image source: Getty Images.

A good start to the year

In the first quarter, top-line growth was slightly slower than 2025, but the benefits of that growth were better. Netflix reported an operating margin of 31.7% versus a margin of 28.1% in 2024, while earnings were $6.61 per diluted share versus earnings of $5.28 in the first quarter of 2024.

Year-over-year growth improved in the second quarter, with a 15.9% increase in total revenue, and operating margin of 34.1% compared to 27.2% in Q2 2024. Earnings for the second quarter increased 47.3% to $7.19 due to a combination of increased net income, and a lower overall share count.

The second half sounds great

Looking into the second half of the year, Netflix provided some upbeat forecasting. Third-quarter results are anticipated to be pretty strong relative to Q3 of 2024. Revenue is anticipated to grow by 17.3% year over year to $11.5 billion, while operating margin is expected to be 17.3% versus 15% the year prior. The real kicker is earnings, which are anticipated to increase 27.2% year over year to $6.87 per diluted share.

In all, Netflix has had solid free cash flow, and seems primed to keep going if its lineup for the second half of the year delivers for users.

Upcoming content

The platform's lineup for the second half of the year kicked off with the highly anticipated (and irreverent) Happy Gilmore 2, and that's just the start. The company is slated to premiere many popular options including Wednesday season 2, Frankenstein, A House of Dynamite from Kathryn Bigelow, and the final season of the extremely popular Stranger Things. This is just to name a few of the upcoming pipeline that is a part of Netflix's continued strategy of attempting to create content for the broadest audience possible.

An example of this is partnering with channels overseas to provide content to a global audience. For example, the company noted in its second quarter shareholder letter that it had partnered with TF1, a popular broadcaster in France, to deliver its content to streamers.

To me, this is essential to outpacing competitors in this ever-popular space, and keep the stock as a good investment. I would argue that it's going to be virtually impossible to avoid the ever-expanding popularity of streaming, and Netflix seems to be holding onto the reins despite mounting pressure from a variety of competitors including Walt Disney, Paramount Global, and others.

Given Netflix's current trend of improving annual net income, I think it is a strong stock to own right now, even after already gaining 33% this year.

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David Butler has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Netflix and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.