FB EDucator

Netflix just released its second-quarter earnings report, missing analyst expectations with lower-than-expected subscriber numbers. For the second quarter, Netflix reported earnings of 49 cents per share on revenues of $1.07 billion. That compared to earnings of 11 cents per share on sales of $889 million in the year-ago quarter. Earnings were above analyst expectations of 40 cents a share, while revenues were in-line with the $1.07 billion forecast for the second quarter.

But the most closely watched number was probably Netflix’s domestic subscriber growth. On that front, the company reported net additions of 630,000, compared with 528,000 a year ago. The second quarter is typically a weak one for new subscribers, especially compared to the prior two quarters. Nevertheless, Netflix’s numbers were in-line with its guidance but it underperformed analyst expectations of domestic subscriber growth of around 700,000 net additions.

While Netflix’s push into original programming is working to get more people signed up and subscribing to the service, just not as quickly as some analyst bulls might have hoped. In the first quarter, Netflix released the Kevin Spacey-led political drama House of Cards, and has followed that up in the second quarter with the highly anticipated release of the fourth season of Arrested Development, as well as Eli Roth’s horror series Hemlock Grove. (Orange Is The New Black, the company’s latest original release, wasn’t reflected in the report, as it came out in the third quarter.)

Its shows have received a bit of critical acclaim recently, with Netflix receiving 14 Emmy nominations last week. That includes nine nominations for House Of Cards, three for Arrested Development, and two for Hemlock Grove.

For Netflix, this quarter’s financial results follow several strong quarters in a row, in which the company has outperformed analyst expectations. After a rough couple of quarters nearly two years ago, as it raised prices and separated its DVD and streaming business units. And those positive results have driven its stock price up, from a 52-week low of $52.81 up into the $260s today. But after today’s release, the stock is down about 5 percent in after-hours trading.