Don't buy on this rumor.
Michael Olson, Piper Jaffray's senior research analyst, doesn't "put a ton of weight" on recent rumorsVerizonCommunications would buy online video store Netflix, he told CNBC.
"It's not out of the question but I don’t think there’s specific evidence that suggests that could happen," he said. "We get rumors Netflix is going to be acquired every month. It’s either Amazon.com or Microsoft or Verizon or somebody else."
But Olson, who has an "overweight" rating and a $100 price target on Netflix stock, said the Verizon rumor shows there are a lot of potential acquirers out there for an asset such as Netflix.
"Anyone who wants to jumpstart their entry into online video would look at Netflix," he said.
Netflix's stock has traded turbulently since July, when the company infuriated its U.S. subscribers by announcing plans to raise prices by as much as 60 percent. It later canceled that plan when subcribers left in droves, showing the key to the company is its "domestic subscriber base, and I think that will stabilize," Olson said.
Maybe not in the fourth quarter, which he said will be at third-quarter subscriber levels, but "over the next year."
Additional News: Netflix Investors Selling Shares Despite CEO's Guidance
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Disclosures:
Michael Olson does not own Netflix shares, but Piper Jaffray makes a market in Netflix stock.
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