NetApp, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTAP) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

NetApp, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTAP) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $124.0714.

A number of brokerages recently commented on NTAP. Bank of America raised their target price on NetApp from $125.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of NetApp from $125.00 to $134.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Northland Securities set a $137.00 target price on shares of NetApp and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Wedbush reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $110.00 price target on shares of NetApp in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of NetApp from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th.

Insider Transactions at NetApp

In related news, CAO Lorenzo Daniel De sold 327 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.48, for a total transaction of $35,145.96. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Elizabeth M. O’callahan sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.00, for a total transaction of $119,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 22,628 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,692,732. This trade represents a 4.23% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 2,433 shares of company stock worth $284,229 in the last ninety days. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NetApp

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of NTAP. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of NetApp in the 2nd quarter valued at about $281,093,000. Boston Partners boosted its holdings in shares of NetApp by 108.9% in the second quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,947,200 shares of the data storage provider’s stock valued at $313,997,000 after acquiring an additional 1,536,339 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of NetApp by 16.8% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,112,316 shares of the data storage provider’s stock valued at $756,665,000 after acquiring an additional 1,024,626 shares during the period. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt raised its position in NetApp by 1,230.3% in the 2nd quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 1,007,591 shares of the data storage provider’s stock valued at $107,359,000 after purchasing an additional 931,850 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in NetApp by 103.6% during the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,783,103 shares of the data storage provider’s stock worth $211,226,000 after purchasing an additional 907,233 shares during the period. 92.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key 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)

NetApp Stock Up 1.3%

NetApp stock opened at $111.90 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $22.16 billion, a PE ratio of 19.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 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. NetApp has a fifty-two week low of $71.84 and a fifty-two week high of $127.78. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $114.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $111.91.

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

NetApp Dividend Announcement

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

NetApp Company Profile

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.