Netflix's Quiet Confidence: Behind the Curtain of Thursday's Earnings Spotlight

Media-streaming innovator Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) has been swimming against the broader market currents recently. Industry giants such as Walt Disney and Comcast are trading closer to their yearly lows than to 52-week highs. But Netflix is hovering just below a recently notched record price, posting robust gains in the last week, month, and year.

The company is slated to report first-quarter results on Thursday evening. If I knew for sure what Netflix's management would say and how the report will move the stock, I'd be very rich in a hurry. However, I can give you some insight into how Netflix is operating nowadays, and what's likely to happen after the report.

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Sound good? OK, here's what I see.

Image source: Getty Images.

Beating Wall Street at every turn

Netflix has been smacking home runs in every recent earnings report. It has beaten analysts' earnings and revenue targets in each of the last four financial updates, often by very comfortable margins. The year-ago report was particularly inspiring; Netflix exceeded Wall Street's consensus bottom-line estimates and its own guidance by 17%.

So Netflix's business is humming on every cylinder. The ad-supported subscription plans and family sharing accounts are pulling their weight. Live sporting events are a hit. Revenue growth is stronger than anticipated and profit margins are growing wider.

Netflix's trillion-dollar ambitions revealed

But wait -- there's more.

A Wall Street Journal article earlier this week said that Netflix's top management recently shared an ambitious five-year plan with some upper-level staff members. Revenue should double over the next five years. Annual ad sales were targeted at $9 billion, up from an estimated $2.1 billion in 2025. Double the revenue and richer profit margins could add up to tripling Netflix's operating income to $30 billion.

Achieving these goals in five years may give Netflix a card to the ultra-exclusive trillion-dollar market cap club. As a reminder, the company's total market value stood at $418 billion on April 15, 2025.

That article goosed Netflix's stock a little closer to that elusive trillion-dollar target. Shares closed Tuesday's trading 4.8% higher while the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) fell 0.3%.

Thriving despite economic storm clouds

These lofty business targets are particularly inspiring since they were stated in a period of unstable economic trends and gloomy consumer confidence. The must-have digital media service may be insulated against these macro trends to some degree, but ad sales automatically get tougher when no one is ready to buy the stuff you're advertising.

It should be noted that the bullish five-year plan was outlined in late March, a few days before President Trump's "liberation day" tariff announcements. A full-blown recession would obviously be bad for Netflix too, but the company could very well benefit if consumers scale back their entertainment options to focus on TV couches and media-streaming binges.

You should look for management commentary on these issues on Thursday evening's earnings call. Keep your ears peeled for terms like "tariffs," "recession," and "ad sales." Even a temporary shift in any of these areas could slow down Netflix's rush to a trillion-dollar market cap.

None of the tariff stuff will have a direct effect on Netflix's first-quarter results, of course. The repercussions will be felt in future periods, most likely starting with the second quarter. Keep an eye on management's next-quarter guidance targets.

The real-time evolution of a streaming powerhouse

Netflix is changing before my eyes. The former market darling and high-growth phenom is maturing into a bastion of calm amid roiling economies and stressed-out consumers. Both the production and consumption of streaming content is growing more and more global. A top-tier portfolio of original shows and movies is getting new support from live sporting content such as wrestling, boxing, and football games. With culture-defining shows like Wednesday, Stranger Things, and Squid Game returning for new seasons later this year, I can only assume that management's outlook will be bullish.

I can't promise that Netflix will smack this report out of the stadium, and the forward-looking commentary is anyone's guess at this point. But yeah, I expect the robust financial trends to continue, despite a challenging economy. Tune in to Netflix's report on Thursday evening (followed by Friday's market reaction) to see what's going on. I wish I could give you a more precise forecast, but my time machine is in for repairs.

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Anders Bylund has positions in Netflix and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Netflix and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool recommends Comcast. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.