Board of the Pension Protection Fund Invests $829,000 in NetApp, Inc. $NTAP

Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in shares of NetApp, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTAP) in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 7,000 shares of the data storage provider’s stock, valued at approximately $829,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Marshall Financial Group LLC boosted its position in NetApp by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Marshall Financial Group LLC now owns 10,160 shares of the data storage provider’s stock valued at $1,204,000 after buying an additional 453 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank lifted its stake in shares of NetApp by 2.2% in the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 50,821 shares of the data storage provider’s stock worth $6,020,000 after acquiring an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in shares of NetApp by 8.0% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 41,025 shares of the data storage provider’s stock worth $4,860,000 after acquiring an additional 3,025 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in NetApp by 12.3% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,030 shares of the data storage provider’s stock valued at $596,000 after purchasing an additional 550 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in NetApp during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $471,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.17% of the company’s stock.

More NetApp News

Here are the key news stories impacting NetApp this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised near-term 2026 estimates — they lifted FY2026 to $6.37 from $6.15 and bumped Q3 2026 to $1.67 (from $1.64) and Q4 2026 to $1.84 (from $1.79). This signals stronger-than-expected performance in the current fiscal year, which supports NTAP’s near-term valuation. Zacks Research note (12/16)
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks modestly raised Q4 2027 to $1.92 (from $1.89), a small tailwind for late‑year 2027 assumptions. Zacks Research note (12/16)
• Negative Sentiment: Material downward revisions for FY2028 — Zacks cut FY2028 to $7.42 from $7.87. A lower long‑range earnings profile can reduce forward multiples and investor confidence if other firms follow suit. Zacks Research note (12/16)
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple 2027 quarter cuts: Q1 2027 down to $1.42 (from $1.45), Q2 2027 to $1.69 (from $1.71), and a notable Q3 2027 cut to $1.66 (from $1.78). Those bumps-down, especially Q3, suggest Zacks expects weaker mid‑2027 earnings momentum. Zacks Research note (12/16)
• Negative Sentiment: Small cuts to early‑2028 quarters (Q1 2028 to $1.69 and Q2 2028 to $1.85) reinforce the downward tweak to FY2028 and highlight caution about growth beyond FY2026. Zacks Research note (12/16)

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on NTAP. Argus reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $130.00 target price on shares of NetApp in a research report on Friday, August 29th. Northland Securities set a $137.00 price target on shares of NetApp and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of NetApp from $125.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Northland Capmk raised shares of NetApp from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, Wedbush reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $110.00 target price on shares of NetApp in a research report on Friday, October 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, NetApp has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $124.07.

NetApp Stock Performance

NTAP stock opened at $111.90 on Friday. NetApp, Inc. has a 1 year low of $71.84 and a 1 year high of $127.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.46, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.52, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.34. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $114.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $111.85.

NetApp (NASDAQ:NTAP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 25th. The data storage provider reported $2.05 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.88 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $1.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.69 billion. NetApp had a net margin of 17.73% and a return on equity of 121.28%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.87 EPS. NetApp has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.750-8.050 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.010-2.110 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that NetApp, Inc. will post 5.89 EPS for the current year.

NetApp Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 2nd. NetApp’s payout ratio is 36.17%.

Insider Activity at NetApp

In other NetApp news, EVP Elizabeth M. O’callahan sold 1,000 shares of NetApp stock in a transaction on Friday, October 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.00, for a total transaction of $119,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 22,628 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,692,732. The trade was a 4.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Lorenzo Daniel De sold 779 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.87, for a total value of $94,936.73. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,433 shares of company stock valued at $284,229. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

About NetApp

NetApp, Inc (NASDAQ: NTAP) is a data management and storage company that delivers hybrid cloud data services for applications and data. Founded in 1992 as Network Appliance and rebranded as NetApp in 2008, the company is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. NetApp’s offering focuses on enabling organizations to store, manage, protect and move data across on-premises environments and major public clouds.

The company’s product portfolio centers on the ONTAP data management software and a range of storage systems and services built around it.