Netflix vs Disney, side by side
Both want your monthly subscription, but the companies behind the apps could hardly differ more. Netflix is a focused streaming business - subscribers in, content spending out - now profitable and adding advertising. Disney is a sprawling empire: theme parks, cruise lines, cinema films, sports and the Disney+ streamer, with decades of beloved characters and franchises behind it.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on quality and growth, and weakest on momentum.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on income and value, and weakest on momentum.
The numbers, side by side
| Measure |  Netflix |  Disney |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $71.71 | $96.19 |
| Market cap: The company's total value on the stock market - share price times the number of shares. Big = 'large-cap', small = 'small-cap'. | $298.60B | $167.04B |
| P/E: Price-to-earnings: the share price divided by yearly profit per share. Lower can mean cheaper; higher often means investors expect fast growth. | 23.0 | 15.4 |
| Div yield: Dividend yield: the yearly dividend as a percentage of the share price - roughly the income you'd earn just from dividends. | 0.0% | 1.6% |
| Revenue growth | 13.4% | 6.5% |
| 1Y: How much the share price has moved over the past year. | -39% | -18% |
More measures
| Forward P/E: Price-to-earnings: the share price divided by yearly profit per share. Lower can mean cheaper; higher often means investors expect fast growth. | 18.8 | 12.9 |
|---|---|---|
| Net margin | 28.2% | 11.5% |
| ROE | 49.5% | 11.0% |
| Beta: How bumpy the share price is versus the whole market. Above 1 swings more than the market; below 1 is calmer. It's about the ride, not whether it goes up or down. | 1.52 | 1.40 |
The bolder figure is simply the larger of the two - higher is not automatically good (a higher P/E means more expectation in the price; a higher beta means bigger swings).
How they differ
Netflix is roughly 1.8x the size of Disney by market value. On our factor screen Netflix currently screens higher on growth and quality, while Disney screens higher on income and value. Netflix trades on the higher P/E (23.0 vs 15.4), so more expectation is already built into its price; and Disney pays a dividend (1.6%) while Netflix pays little or none. Over the past year the share prices moved -39% (Netflix) vs -18% (Disney).
Descriptive only - how the two compare on today's data, never a verdict on either.
Netflix, in one line
Netflix is the world's leading streaming service, providing a vast library of films, series, and games to subscribers across the globe.
Read the full Netflix explainer →Disney, in one line
Disney is a global entertainment giant that brings stories to life through its famous theme parks, film studios, and the Disney+ streaming service.
Read the full Disney explainer →What to weigh
If dividend income matters to you, the yields differ (0.0% Netflix vs 1.6% Disney). These are facts to understand, not a verdict - read each full explainer before deciding anything.
Common questions
Why did Disney's streaming push hurt its profits at first?
Building a streamer is expensive - huge content budgets and low prices to win subscribers - so Disney+ lost money for years while parks and films carried the group. Netflix went through the same phase earlier and reached profit sooner.
What does Disney have that Netflix doesn't?
Physical experiences and owned franchises. Its parks and cruises are a large, separate profit engine, and characters like Marvel and Star Wars feed films, toys and streaming alike - but that breadth also makes it more complex to run.