NetApp (NASDAQ:NTAP – Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley from $88.00 to $137.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “underweight” rating on the data storage provider’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective points to a potential downside of 3.79% from the stock’s previous close.
Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of NetApp from $118.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of NetApp from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of NetApp from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $125.00 to $110.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of NetApp from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, April 19th. Finally, Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of NetApp in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, NetApp presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $124.09.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on NTAP
NetApp Trading Down 0.2%
NetApp (NASDAQ:NTAP – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 28th. The data storage provider reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.27 by ($0.24). The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.87 billion. NetApp had a net margin of 18.07% and a return on equity of 118.11%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.93 earnings per share. NetApp has set its FY 2027 guidance at 8.700-9.000 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 2.050-2.150 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that NetApp will post 6.48 earnings per share for the current year.
Insider Activity at NetApp
In other news, CAO Lorenzo Daniel De sold 275 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total transaction of $33,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $130,800. This trade represents a 20.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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 Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.73, for a total transaction of $117,730.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 18,382 shares in the company, valued at $2,164,112.86. This represents a 5.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 3,275 shares of company stock worth $347,650 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Rossby Financial LCC increased its holdings in shares of NetApp by 105.5% during the third quarter. Rossby Financial LCC now owns 224 shares of the data storage provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of NetApp during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of NetApp by 68.7% during the fourth quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC now owns 253 shares of the data storage provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Gen Wealth Partners Inc bought a new position in shares of NetApp during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, DV Equities LLC bought a new position in shares of NetApp during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. 92.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Key Stories Impacting NetApp
Here are the key news stories impacting NetApp this week:
- Positive Sentiment: NetApp beat revenue expectations with $1.95 billion in quarterly sales, up 12.5% year over year, and management said execution remained strong. Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: NetApp raised its FY2027 EPS guidance to $8.70-$9.00 and revenue guidance to $7.3 billion-$7.6 billion, both above consensus, which supports the longer-term outlook. Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: The board authorized a new $1 billion share repurchase program and the company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.52 per share, both of which can help support the stock. Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: Bank of America’s Wamsi Mohan reiterated a Hold rating but lifted his price target to $150, signaling improved confidence in the shares’ upside. Article Title
- Neutral Sentiment: NetApp’s Q4 EPS of $2.03 missed the consensus estimate of $2.27, which likely limited the stock’s reaction despite the revenue beat.
- Neutral Sentiment: Recent earnings-call coverage highlighted record revenue and AI-related expansion efforts, but investors are still weighing valuation and margin concerns. Article Title
- Negative Sentiment: Analyst commentary also pointed to valuation and margin headwinds, suggesting the market may be reluctant to bid the stock much higher after its recent run. Article Title
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.
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