Northland Securities Lifts Earnings Estimates for NetApp

NetApp, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTAP) – Equities research analysts at Northland Securities boosted their FY2026 EPS estimates for shares of NetApp in a research note issued to investors on Monday, March 9th. Northland Securities analyst N. Chokshi now forecasts that the data storage provider will earn $6.49 per share for the year, up from their prior estimate of $6.30. Northland Securities currently has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for NetApp’s current full-year earnings is $5.89 per share. Northland Securities also issued estimates for NetApp’s Q4 2026 earnings at $1.90 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.60 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.85 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.92 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.09 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $7.47 EPS.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on NTAP. Weiss Ratings raised shares of NetApp from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on NetApp from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of NetApp in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Bank of America increased their price target on NetApp from $125.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on NetApp from $114.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.42.

NetApp Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NetApp stock opened at $96.93 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $101.35 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $110.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.15, a current ratio of 1.39 and a quick ratio of 1.36. The company has a market capitalization of $19.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.21, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 1.39. NetApp has a 1-year low of $71.84 and a 1-year high of $126.66.

NetApp (NASDAQ:NTAP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The data storage provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.05. NetApp had a net margin of 18.07% and a return on equity of 118.11%. The firm had revenue of $1.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.70 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.91 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. NetApp has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 2.210-2.310 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 7.920-8.020 EPS.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NetApp

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in NTAP. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in NetApp by 2.5% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 27,728,118 shares of the data storage provider’s stock worth $2,954,431,000 after buying an additional 686,188 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of NetApp by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,192,354 shares of the data storage provider’s stock worth $1,091,499,000 after acquiring an additional 115,451 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of NetApp by 16.8% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,112,316 shares of the data storage provider’s stock worth $756,665,000 after acquiring an additional 1,024,626 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of NetApp by 17.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,915,553 shares of the data storage provider’s stock valued at $582,296,000 after acquiring an additional 718,409 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of NetApp during the 4th quarter valued at about $458,060,000. Institutional investors own 92.17% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at NetApp

In related news, EVP Elizabeth M. O’callahan sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.67, for a total transaction of $100,670.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,382 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,051,855.94. This trade represents a 4.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,000 shares of company stock valued at $309,610. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

NetApp Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 2nd. NetApp’s payout ratio is 34.78%.

More NetApp News

Here are the key news stories impacting NetApp this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Northland Securities raised its FY2026 and FY2027 EPS forecasts (FY2026 to $6.49 from $6.30; FY2027 to $7.47 from $7.35) and maintains a “Strong‑Buy” rating — this increases modeled long‑term earnings and is a bullish signal for valuation. Northland raises FY2026/FY2027 estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Northland also bumped several quarterly estimates (notably Q3 and Q4 2027 and Q4 2026), implying stronger later‑year momentum that could support forward guidance and multiple expansion. Northland raises quarterly estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: The research note contained modest downward tweaks to near‑term quarters (Q1 and Q2 2027 EPS trimmed slightly), introducing some short‑term uncertainty even as full‑year views were lifted. Investors may view this as mixed — stronger back half, softer early 2027. Northland trims near‑term estimates
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Elizabeth M. O’Callahan sold 1,000 shares at an average price of $100.67 on March 10 (≈$100.7k). While the sale is small relative to total insider holdings, insider dispositions can be perceived negatively by the market. SEC filing: insider sale

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.