If You Invested $1,000 In Netflix Stock When 'Stranger Things' Debuted, Here's How Much You'd Have Now

Streaming giant Netflix Inc NFLX went public in 2002. The company, which got its start as a DVD by mail subscription service, has transformed its business model into one of the largest streaming companies in the world.

Here’s a look at how successful shares of Netflix have been since it launched one of its biggest streaming hits of all time.

What Happened: As a streaming platform, Netflix initially licensed existing movies and TV shows. Eventually, it found success with original programming, including “Lilyhammer” — its first original series, released in February 2012. Over the years, the company has seen massive success with series like “House of Cards,” “Stranger Things” and the record-breaking “Squid Game.”

The first season of “Stranger Things” was released on July 15, 2016 and become a massive hit for the company, building a loyal base of fans and making it one of the most successful Netflix original series of all time.

The first part of the fourth season of “Stranger Things” broke records in May 2022 for an English-language series. In their first week of release, the episodes were viewed a total of 287 million hours, breaking a previous record of 193 million hours set by the second season of “Bridgerton.”

Viewership for the fourth season of “Stranger Things” totaled 1.35 billion hours in the first 28 days, an English-language record for the company.

The November 2022 release “Wednesday” passed “Stranger Things” for the first week viewership figure with 341.2 million hours, but failed to pass the 28-day total.

A fifth and final season of “Stranger Things” is expected to be released in 2024. Several spinoffs could be in the works for Netflix to keep the fans of the franchise happy.

“Stranger Things” remains one of the key pieces for Netflix and a contribution to the 223 million global subscribers the company had at the end of the third quarter.

Related Link: Netflix Q3 Earnings Highlights: Revenue, Subscribers Beat Estimates, Company Throws Shade At Streaming Rivals

Investing $1,000 in Netflix Stock: The first season of “Stranger Things” kicked off on Netflix on July 15, 2016.

A $1,000 investment could have purchased 10.13 shares of NFLX on that date based on a price point of $98.70.

Today, the $1,000 investment would be worth $3,282.93, representing a return of 228.3%. Over the 6 1/2 years, the investment would be up 228.3%. This represents and average annual return of 35.1%.

Netflix shares hit an all-time high of $691.69 in November 2021, before the fourth season of “Stranger Things” was released. The $1,000 investment from the premiere of season one would have been worth $7,009.65 at the time, up 601%.

Read Next: Why This Netflix Analyst Is Double Upgrading The Streaming Stock: 'Difficult For Competitors To Catch'

Photo courtesy of Netflix.