Seek Returns

CMCSA vs. NFLX: Comcast vs. Netflix Stock Comparison

How do Comcast (CMCSA) and Netflix (NFLX) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Comcast (CMCSA) and Netflix (NFLX) both fall under the Media & Entertainment industry group, but CMCSA is classified in Media while NFLX is classified in Entertainment.

Company profile comparison for Comcast (CMCSA) and Netflix (NFLX)
Profile ItemCMCSANFLX
NameComcast CorpNetflix, Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorCommunication ServicesCommunication Services
GICS Industry GroupMedia & EntertainmentMedia & Entertainment
GICS IndustryMediaEntertainment
GICS Sub-IndustryCable & SatelliteMovies & Entertainment
Market Capitalization92.90 billion USD325.45 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNasdaq
Listing DateMarch 17, 1980May 23, 2002
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CMCSA
NFLX
GSPC
Loading price history…
Comcast (CMCSA) vs. Netflix (NFLX), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

Loading price history…
Trailing total returns for Comcast (CMCSA) and Netflix (NFLX). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…
Calendar-year total returns for Comcast (CMCSA) and Netflix (NFLX). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Comcast (CMCSA) and Netflix (NFLX)
MetricCMCSANFLX
Total Return (1Y)-10.98%-36.48%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)-12.51%22.25%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)-11.13%8.66%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CMCSA
NFLX
GSPC
Loading price history…
Comcast (CMCSA) vs. Netflix (NFLX), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

Loading price history…
Distribution of monthly total returns for Comcast (CMCSA) and Netflix (NFLX). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Netflix (NFLX) has an aggressive beta of 1.52, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Comcast (CMCSA) is defensive at 0.68 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Comcast (CMCSA) and Netflix (NFLX)
MetricCMCSANFLX
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)30.62%35.13%
Beta (5Y)0.681.52
Max Drawdown (5Y)-55.42%-75.95%
Avg. Volume (3M)34.96M42.52M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Loading chart…
CMCSA and NFLX are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Comcast (CMCSA) and Netflix (NFLX)
MetricCMCSANFLX
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.49-1.15
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.64-1.55

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Netflix (NFLX) at 49.54% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Comcast (CMCSA) at 11.49%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

CMCSA

Media & Entertainment industry group

11.49%

Max
44.48%
Q3
15.26%
CMCSA
11.49%
Median
6.57%
Q1
-4.94%
Min
-26.31%

NFLX

Media & Entertainment industry group

49.54%

NFLX
49.54%
Max
44.48%
Q3
15.26%
Median
6.57%
Q1
-4.94%
Min
-26.31%
Loading chart…
Comcast (CMCSA) vs. Netflix (NFLX): A comparison of their ROE against the Media & Entertainment industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Netflix (NFLX) at 28.22% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Comcast (CMCSA) at 8.97%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

CMCSA

Media & Entertainment industry group

8.97%

Max
29.84%
Q3
10.13%
CMCSA
8.97%
Median
3.96%
Q1
-3.20%
Min
-17.61%

NFLX

Media & Entertainment industry group

28.22%

Max
29.84%
NFLX
28.22%
Q3
10.13%
Median
3.96%
Q1
-3.20%
Min
-17.61%
Loading chart…
Comcast (CMCSA) vs. Netflix (NFLX): A comparison of their net margin against the Media & Entertainment industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Netflix (NFLX) at 33.38% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Comcast (CMCSA) at 17.23%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

CMCSA

Media & Entertainment industry group

17.23%

Max
41.37%
Q3
18.71%
CMCSA
17.23%
Median
10.19%
Q1
0.00%
Min
-27.39%

NFLX

Media & Entertainment industry group

33.38%

Max
41.37%
NFLX
33.38%
Q3
18.71%
Median
10.19%
Q1
0.00%
Min
-27.39%
Loading chart…
Comcast (CMCSA) vs. Netflix (NFLX): A comparison of their operating margin against the Media & Entertainment industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Comcast (CMCSA) and Netflix (NFLX)
MetricCMCSANFLX
ROE (TTM)11.49%49.54%
ROA (TTM)4.31%16.09%
Net Margin (TTM)8.97%28.22%
Operating Margin (TTM)17.23%33.38%
Gross Margin (TTM)69.39%49.12%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Netflix (NFLX) at 15.85% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Comcast (CMCSA) at -0.02% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for NFLX.

Loading chart…
Comcast (CMCSA) vs. Netflix (NFLX): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Comcast (CMCSA) at 30.19% and Netflix (NFLX) at 27.58% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Loading chart…
Comcast (CMCSA) vs. Netflix (NFLX): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Comcast (CMCSA) and Netflix (NFLX)
MetricCMCSANFLX
Revenue Growth (YoY)-0.02%15.85%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)0.62%12.64%
EPS Growth (YoY)30.19%27.58%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)64.54%36.49%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Netflix (NFLX) at 1.14 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Comcast (CMCSA) at 0.80 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for CMCSA.

CMCSA

Media & Entertainment industry group

0.80

Max
4.50
Q3
2.38
Median
1.45
Q1
0.88
CMCSA
0.80
Min
0.09

NFLX

Media & Entertainment industry group

1.14

Max
4.50
Q3
2.38
Median
1.45
NFLX
1.14
Q1
0.88
Min
0.09
Loading chart…
Comcast (CMCSA) vs. Netflix (NFLX): A comparison of their current ratio against the Media & Entertainment industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Comcast (CMCSA) at 1.00 and Netflix (NFLX) at 0.55 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

CMCSA

Media & Entertainment industry group

1.00

Max
2.66
Q3
1.25
CMCSA
1.00
Median
0.46
Q1
0.17
Min
0.00

NFLX

Media & Entertainment industry group

0.55

Max
2.66
Q3
1.25
NFLX
0.55
Median
0.46
Q1
0.17
Min
0.00
Loading chart…
Comcast (CMCSA) vs. Netflix (NFLX): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Media & Entertainment industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Comcast (CMCSA) and Netflix (NFLX)
MetricCMCSANFLX
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.801.14
Debt / Equity (MRQ)1.000.55
Net Debt / EBITDA2.430.51

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Netflix (NFLX) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Comcast (CMCSA) reports a yield of 5.04%, ranking against industry peers normally.

CMCSA

Media & Entertainment industry group

5.04%

CMCSA
5.04%
Max
1.43%
Q3
0.59%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

NFLX

Media & Entertainment industry group

0.00%

Max
1.43%
Q3
0.59%
NFLX
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
Comcast (CMCSA) vs. Netflix (NFLX): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Media & Entertainment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Netflix (NFLX) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Comcast (CMCSA) reports a payout of 42.31%, ranking against industry peers normally.

CMCSA

Media & Entertainment industry group

42.31%

CMCSA
42.31%
Max
34.19%
Q3
14.58%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

NFLX

Media & Entertainment industry group

0.00%

Max
34.19%
Q3
14.58%
NFLX
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
Comcast (CMCSA) vs. Netflix (NFLX): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Media & Entertainment industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Comcast (CMCSA) and Netflix (NFLX)
MetricCMCSANFLX
Dividend Yield (TTM)5.04%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)42.31%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Comcast (CMCSA) at 8.39 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Netflix (NFLX) at 24.58 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for CMCSA, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

CMCSA

Media & Entertainment industry group

8.39

Max
72.44
Q3
41.27
Median
20.06
Q1
11.51
CMCSA
8.39
Min
1.79

NFLX

Media & Entertainment industry group

24.58

Max
72.44
Q3
41.27
NFLX
24.58
Median
20.06
Q1
11.51
Min
1.79
Loading chart…
Comcast (CMCSA) vs. Netflix (NFLX): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Media & Entertainment industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Comcast (CMCSA) at 0.74 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Netflix (NFLX) at 6.73 sits in the pricier quartile — NFLX costs more per dollar of sales.

CMCSA

Media & Entertainment industry group

0.74

Max
7.19
Q3
3.73
Median
1.52
CMCSA
0.74
Q1
0.63
Min
0.00

NFLX

Media & Entertainment industry group

6.73

Max
7.19
NFLX
6.73
Q3
3.73
Median
1.52
Q1
0.63
Min
0.00
Loading chart…
Comcast (CMCSA) vs. Netflix (NFLX): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Media & Entertainment industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Comcast (CMCSA) at 1.03 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Netflix (NFLX) at 10.79 carries an above-peer premium to book — NFLX is pricier on assets.

CMCSA

Media & Entertainment industry group

1.03

Max
13.11
Q3
5.79
Median
2.13
CMCSA
1.03
Q1
0.83
Min
-4.58

NFLX

Media & Entertainment industry group

10.79

Max
13.11
NFLX
10.79
Q3
5.79
Median
2.13
Q1
0.83
Min
-4.58
Loading chart…
Comcast (CMCSA) vs. Netflix (NFLX): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Media & Entertainment industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Comcast (CMCSA) and Netflix (NFLX)
MetricCMCSANFLX
P/E Ratio (TTM)8.3924.58
P/S Ratio (TTM)0.746.73
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.0310.79
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)13.67%7.80%