B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Sells 31,445 Shares of NetApp, Inc. $NTAP

Key Points

• B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG reduced its NetApp stake by 43.5%, selling 31,445 shares and retaining 40,897 shares valued at approximately $6.3 million. Institutional investors collectively own 92.17% of NetApp.
• NetApp reported a strong quarter, with EPS of $2.58 and revenue of $2.02 billion, beating analyst estimates; revenue increased nearly 30% year over year. The company also raised its fiscal 2027 guidance, citing continued AI infrastructure and hybrid-cloud demand.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but generally constructive: six analysts rate the stock Buy and ten rate it Hold, producing an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $192.07. NetApp also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.52 per share, a 1.1% annualized yield.

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG lessened its stake in shares of NetApp, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTAP - Free Report) by 43.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 40,897 shares of the data storage provider's stock after selling 31,445 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG's holdings in NetApp were worth $6,329,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in NTAP. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of NetApp in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,925,168,000. Primecap Management Co. CA purchased a new position in shares of NetApp during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,395,423,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of NetApp during the 4th quarter valued at $458,060,000. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of NetApp by 127.0% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,658,066 shares of the data storage provider's stock worth $374,549,000 after acquiring an additional 2,046,912 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in shares of NetApp during the 2nd quarter worth $258,093,000. Institutional investors own 92.17% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on NTAP. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of NetApp from $209.00 to $190.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of NetApp from $180.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday. Weiss Ratings raised shares of NetApp from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Monday, June 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of NetApp from $110.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of NetApp from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, NetApp has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $192.07.

NetApp Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NTAP opened at $185.38 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $178.07 and a 200 day moving average of $140.54. The stock has a market cap of $36.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.44. NetApp, Inc. has a 12 month low of $93.69 and a 12 month high of $209.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84.

NetApp (NASDAQ:NTAP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 2nd. The data storage provider reported $2.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.46. NetApp had a net margin of 19.18% and a return on equity of 127.57%. The firm had revenue of $2.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.84 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.15 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 29.9% compared to the same quarter last year. NetApp has set its FY 2027 guidance at 9.730-10.030 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 2.540-2.640 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that NetApp, Inc. will post 7.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NetApp Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 28th. Investors of record on Friday, October 9th will be given a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 9th. NetApp's dividend payout ratio is 32.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, President Cesar Cernuda sold 2,608 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.48, for a total value of $533,283.84. Following the transaction, the president owned 46,530 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,514,454.40. This represents a 5.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Elizabeth M. O'callahan sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.82, for a total transaction of $193,820.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 30,297 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,872,164.54. This trade represents a 3.20% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 55,072 shares of company stock worth $8,719,520 over the last ninety days. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

NetApp News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting NetApp this week:

• Positive Sentiment: NetApp reported fiscal Q1 revenue of approximately $2.03 billion, up 30% year over year, while adjusted EPS of $2.58 exceeded the roughly $2.12 analyst consensus. All-flash array revenue rose 47% to $1.31 billion, and public-cloud revenue increased 28%, underscoring strong demand tied to AI infrastructure, data modernization and hybrid cloud adoption. NTAP Q1 Earnings and Revenues Top Estimates on AI and All-Flash Strength
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its fiscal 2027 forecast to approximately $7.98 billion-$8.23 billion in revenue and $9.73-$10.03 in adjusted EPS, well above prior Wall Street expectations. Second-quarter guidance also topped consensus, supporting the view that AI-led infrastructure spending is becoming durable. NetApp Forecasts Fiscal 2027 Revenue and Raises EPS Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains broadly constructive following the report. TD Cowen reaffirmed its Buy rating with a $200 target, while Goldman Sachs maintained its Buy rating and a $210 target; Morgan Stanley, Susquehanna and other firms also raised targets. NetApp Analysts Boost Their Forecasts After Strong Q1 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: NetApp announced a quarterly dividend of $0.52 per share, payable October 28 to shareholders of record October 9, providing continued income support for investors. NetApp Declares a $0.52 Dividend
• Negative Sentiment: The initial reaction was negative because operating cash flow and free cash flow declined year over year, inventory increased, and management warned that second-quarter gross margin would fall sequentially amid component costs and product-mix pressure. With expectations elevated after a significant rally, investors viewed the results as a mixed bag despite the earnings beat. NetApp Beats Estimates but Tumbles on Free Cash Flow Decline

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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