Netflix Management: Our Stock Is Overvalued

It won't get much attention since Netflix (NFLX) stock has been on fire this year and investors today are loving the company's third quarter earnings report released last night, but Netflix's CEO and CFO have actually come out and publicly warned investors that the stock price performance in 2013 (started the year at $92, opened today's session at $388) is likely overdone to the upside. In their quarterly letter to investors published yesterday this is what they wrote:

"In calendar year 2003 we were the highest performing stock on Nasdaq. We had solid results compounded by momentum-investor-fueled euphoria. Some of the euphoria today feels like 2003."

Let's see what they are referring to. As you can see below, Netflix stock went from $5 to $30 in 2003:

NFLX-2003.gif

And then in 2004 it peaked at $40 and fell all the way down to $10:

NFLX-2004.gif

Netflix started 2013 at $92 and opened today's trading session at $388: 

NFLX-2013.gif

In this case the company is executing very well but the stock price does not really make any sense. Shareholders beware.

UPDATE (11:55am ET): Netflix is currently trading at $328, down $60 per share from its opening price this morning. Maybe the company has actually called the top in its stock for now. Interesting.

Full Disclosure: No position in NFLX at the time of writing, but positions may change at any time.