Core Insights - NetApp Inc. (NASDAQ:NTAP) is underperforming in the data center sector in 2025, with a stock increase of only 3.3% compared to broader industry enthusiasm [1] - The company faces competition from pure-play cloud providers, but its hybrid model remains attractive to enterprises for flexibility and cost savings [1] Financial Performance - Analysts are cautious about NetApp, with nearly two-thirds rating it as Neutral, although TD Cowen analyst John Blackledge maintains a Buy rating with a price target of $130 [2] - At the Goldman Sachs Communicopia + Technology Conference, NetApp reported steady growth in all-flash storage, cloud services, and AI, despite weak demand in the U.S. public sector and parts of EMEA [3] Growth Projections - Management has kept its growth forecast at 2% for the next quarter and 3% for the year, with product margins expected in the mid-to-high 50% range [4] - The company is focusing on adding senior hires in North America to boost sales and is investing in R&D to enhance its data and cloud offerings [4] Business Model - NetApp provides hybrid cloud and data storage solutions for enterprise clients, offering a range of products from on-premises hardware to cloud software and data management tools [4]

Group 1: Stock Performance - NetApp (NTAP) closed at $118.52, reflecting a -1.13% change from the previous day, underperforming the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.26% [1] - Over the past month, NetApp shares appreciated by 6.29%, underperforming the Computer and Technology sector's gain of 7.4% but outperforming the S&P 500's gain of 2.87% [1] Group 2: Upcoming Earnings - NetApp is projected to report earnings of $1.89 per share, indicating year-over-year growth of 1.07% [2] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is $1.69 billion, up 1.68% from the previous year [2] Group 3: Full-Year Estimates - Full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates for NetApp are earnings of $7.77 per share and revenue of $6.76 billion, representing year-over-year changes of +7.17% and +2.85%, respectively [3] - Recent changes to analyst estimates for NetApp may reflect evolving short-term business trends, with positive revisions indicating optimism about the business outlook [3] Group 4: Valuation Metrics - NetApp has a Forward P/E ratio of 15.43, which is lower than the industry average Forward P/E of 16.36, suggesting it is trading at a discount [6] - The current PEG ratio for NetApp is 2.1, which is in line with the average PEG ratio of 2.1 for Computer-Storage Devices stocks [7] Group 5: Industry Ranking - The Computer-Storage Devices industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector, holding a Zacks Industry Rank of 207, placing it in the bottom 17% of over 250 industries [8] - Research indicates that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1 [8]

Core Insights - The data center industry is experiencing significant growth driven by the demand for artificial intelligence, with estimates suggesting a potential increase in global data center needs by 100 gigawatts by 2030 [2][3] - Despite the overall growth in the sector, not all companies are benefiting equally, with some facing challenges such as poor execution and heavy debt, leading to sharp declines in their stock prices [3][4] Group 1: Industry Overview - Goldman Sachs and McKinsey & Company emphasize the critical role of high-density data centers in the AI race and as foundational infrastructure for digital services [1][2] - The demand for AI capacity is rising rapidly, creating a significant opportunity for data center operators [2] - The power requirements for data centers are projected to nearly triple from 68 to 196 gigawatts in the coming years, highlighting the need for investment in power solutions [10] Group 2: Company Performance - DigitalBridge Group Inc. is one of the worst-performing data center stocks in 2025, with a year-to-date return of only 4.6%, despite being a major player in the digital infrastructure space with over $96 billion in assets [8][9] - NetApp Inc. has a year-to-date return of 3.3%, struggling to keep pace with the broader market due to competition from pure-play cloud providers, although its hybrid model remains appealing to enterprises [12][15] - Analysts have a cautious outlook on NetApp, with two-thirds holding a Neutral rating, while the company maintains a growth forecast of 2% for the next quarter and 3% for the year [13][15]

Summary of the Conference Call on IT Hardware and Communications Equipment Industry Overview - The focus is on the **IT Hardware and Communications Equipment** industry, specifically the **storage market** and **NAND pricing** trends [1][2]. Key Points and Arguments 1. **Storage Market Growth Projections**: - Total storage estimates for **CY25** have been adjusted upwards, with a forecast of **5% growth** for **CY26** and **2% growth** for **CY27** [2]. - The storage market is expected to grow at a **CAGR of 7%** from **2021 to 2026**, with hardware growing at **6%** and software/SaaS at **15%** [17][18]. 2. **NAND Pricing Impact**: - Recent upward movements in **NAND pricing** are expected to affect storage players' revenues and margins, as NAND can account for up to **50% of COGS** in storage hardware [3][8]. - The correlation between NAND pricing changes and product GM is delayed, typically taking about a quarter to reflect in revenue and margins [8][11]. 3. **Market Dynamics**: - The storage market has shown resilience year-to-date, although there are pockets of weakness, particularly in the public sector and EMEA [2]. - The anticipated recovery in enterprise spending and AI-related demand is expected to begin impacting the market around **CY26** [2][17]. 4. **Vendor Performance**: - **NetApp (NTAP)** and **Pure Storage (PSTG)** are expected to see improvements in product GMs in the second half of the year, aided by strategic pre-buys [16]. - **DELL** and **HPE** are noted for their market share dynamics, with DELL being a consistent share donor and HPE maintaining stable market share [31][37][41]. 5. **Software/SaaS Market Share**: - Software/SaaS revenues are projected to remain a small portion of the overall market, expected to grow from **4%** in **2026** to nearly **5%** by **CY27** [25][28]. 6. **AFA vs. Disc/Hybrid Growth**: - AFA (All-Flash Array) is expected to grow at a **CAGR of 9%**, while Disc/Hybrid is projected to grow at **6%** from **2021 to 2026** [17][18]. Additional Important Insights - The storage market's growth is not correlating with trends in server and DC switching revenues, indicating that external storage is not fully participating in AI-related growth [18][19]. - Historical data shows a decline in the correlation between server revenues and external storage revenues, particularly as AI servers with higher ASPs ramp up [19][21]. - The overall storage market has experienced fluctuations, with an average growth of **6%** over the past five years, and is now expected to average **8% growth** in **2025-2026** [21][24]. Conclusion - The IT Hardware and Communications Equipment industry, particularly the storage segment, is poised for moderate growth driven by enterprise recovery and AI-related demand, despite challenges posed by NAND pricing volatility and market dynamics.

Core Viewpoint - NetApp's recent earnings report shows a slight decline in earnings year over year, but revenues have increased, indicating a mixed performance. The company remains optimistic about its future outlook and growth potential in the Hybrid and Public Cloud segments [2][3][4]. Financial Performance - Non-GAAP earnings for Q1 fiscal 2026 were $1.55 per share, beating estimates by 0.7% but declining 0.6% year over year [2]. - Revenues reached $1.56 billion, a 1% increase year over year, and exceeded the consensus estimate by 1.2% [3]. - The company expects fiscal 2026 revenues to be between $6.625 billion and $6.875 billion, reflecting a 3% year-over-year growth at the midpoint [4]. Segment Performance - Hybrid Cloud segment revenues increased 1% year over year to $1.4 billion, while Public Cloud revenues also improved 1% to $161 million. Excluding the divested Spot business, Public Cloud revenues grew 18% year over year [6]. - Within the Hybrid Cloud segment, product revenues decreased 2% to $654 million, while support contract revenues increased 3% to $647 million [7]. Key Metrics - All-Flash Array revenues rose 6% year over year to $893 million, with a total annualized run rate of $3.6 billion [9]. - Total billings increased by 4% year over year to $1.51 billion, and deferred revenues totaled $4.5 billion, up 8.6% [9]. Operating Details - Non-GAAP gross margin was 71.1%, down 110 basis points from the previous year. The Hybrid segment's gross margin was 70%, while the Public Cloud segment saw an increase to 80.1% [10]. - Non-GAAP operating income decreased 0.5% year over year to $401 million, with an operating margin of 25.7% [10]. Balance Sheet & Cash Flow - The company ended the quarter with $3.32 billion in cash and equivalents, down from $3.85 billion in the previous quarter [11]. - Free cash flow was $620 million, with a margin of 39.8%, compared to $640 million in the prior year [12]. Guidance - For Q2, NetApp anticipates revenues between $6.625 billion and $6.875 billion, with a projected non-GAAP EPS between $1.84 and $1.94 [13]. Market Sentiment - Estimates for NetApp have trended downward over the past month, with a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold), indicating an expectation of in-line returns in the coming months [14][17].

Core Insights - The Zacks Computer-Storage Devices industry faces challenges from escalating trade tensions, macroeconomic turbulence, and intense competition, but benefits from trends like digital transformation, edge computing, and AI workload proliferation [1][2][6] Industry Overview - The industry includes companies that design, develop, manufacture, and market HDDs and SSDs for various devices, with some offering software-defined all-flash solutions and high-performance memory subsystems [3] Trends Influencing Growth - AI is driving demand for high-speed, high-capacity storage solutions, necessitating a shift towards NVMe-based SSDs and object storage for unstructured data [4] - Cloud storage technologies are evolving, with a focus on virtualization and edge computing to manage increasing data complexity and scale [5] Macro Conditions - Trade tensions and inflation are significant concerns, potentially affecting global IT spending, which is projected to reach $5.43 trillion in 2025, a 7.9% increase from 2024 [6] - PC shipments increased by 4.4% year-over-year in Q2 2025, but are expected to plateau in the latter half of the year due to vendor inventory adjustments [7][8] Industry Performance - The Zacks Computer-Storage Devices industry has outperformed the S&P 500 with a 22.7% increase over the past year, compared to the S&P 500's 17.8% gain, but lags behind the broader sector's 28.3% growth [11] Valuation Metrics - The industry is currently trading at a forward 12-month P/E ratio of 21.15X, below the S&P 500's 23.32X and the sector's 28.93X [14] Company Highlights - **Netlist (NLST)**: Experienced a 44% sequential revenue increase to $41.7 million, driven by DDR5 demand, and is pursuing legal actions against Samsung and Micron for patent infringements [20][21] - **Pure Storage (PSTG)**: Expanded its Flash portfolio and reported strong demand for its products, with a Zacks Rank of 3 and a 71.6% stock gain over the past year [25][27] - **NetApp (NTAP)**: Benefiting from demand for all-flash arrays and cloud storage solutions, with Keystone storage-as-a-service revenues growing 80% year-over-year [32][33]

Core Insights - NetApp, Inc. is a leading provider of cloud-led, data-centric solutions with a market cap of $24.8 billion, specializing in data storage systems, software, and cloud services [1][2] - The company is classified as a large-cap stock, emphasizing its size and influence in the software-infrastructure industry, particularly in hybrid cloud integration and AI-driven analytics [2] Financial Performance - NetApp's shares are currently trading 8.3% below their 52-week high of $135.45, reached on November 22, 2024, with a 23.6% increase over the past three months, outperforming the Invesco AI and Next Gen Software ETF's 16.1% return [3] - Over the past 52 weeks, NetApp has gained 5.8%, significantly underperforming the IGPT's 22.7% increase, while year-to-date, shares are up 7% compared to IGPT's 18.1% surge [4] - In Q1, NetApp reported revenue of $1.6 billion, a 1.2% increase year-over-year, and adjusted EPS of $1.55, slightly down year-over-year but above consensus estimates [5]

Company Overview - NetApp provides enterprise storage and data management software and hardware products and services, assisting enterprises in managing multi-cloud environments and adopting next-generation technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and Kubernetes [11]. Investment Ratings - NetApp is currently rated as 3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of A, indicating a solid position in the market [12]. - The company has a Momentum Style Score of A, with shares increasing by 14.2% over the past four weeks [12]. Earnings Estimates - For fiscal 2026, three analysts have revised their earnings estimates upwards in the last 60 days, with the Zacks Consensus Estimate increasing by $0.03 to $7.75 per share [12]. - NetApp has an average earnings surprise of +1.7%, suggesting a positive outlook for future earnings [12]. Investment Considerations - With a strong Zacks Rank and top-tier Momentum and VGM Style Scores, NetApp is recommended for investors' consideration [13].

Group 1 - The conference call is intended for JPMorgan clients only, and external participants are not permitted [2] - The call may be recorded and made available to clients, with potential posting on the company's website [1] - Questions during the call should be submitted in writing using the Q&A button on the Zoom toolbar [2] Group 2 - Samik Chatterjee is the designated speaker to begin the call [3]

Summary of NetApp Conference Call Company Overview - **Company**: NetApp - **CEO**: George Kurian - **Industry**: Data Storage and Cloud Services Key Points Industry Changes and Customer Preferences - The most significant change in the industry over the past decade has been the growth of public cloud services, which has influenced enterprise data center operations towards OPEX buying models [6][8] - Customers are increasingly seeking to unify their data and infrastructure models, driven by the need to do more with less, especially in the context of AI [7][9] - Traditional large integrated system vendors like Dell, HP, and IBM have been losing market share, continuing a historical trend in the storage industry [8][9] Operational Transformation - NetApp has focused on three main areas for operational transformation: portfolio, go-to-market strategy, and financial performance [10] - The company has pivoted towards growth areas such as Flash, cloud, block storage, and AI, with Flash now accounting for two-thirds of hybrid cloud revenue [10][11] - The public cloud segment has grown 33% year-over-year, contributing significantly to overall margins [11] Market Position and Competitive Landscape - NetApp is recognized as a leader in Gartner's Magic Quadrant for enterprise storage platforms, maintaining a disciplined approach to operational expenses [13] - The company aims to grow its market share in the all-Flash market, currently holding about 25% share, with aspirations to capture more [26][28] - The competitive landscape is shifting, with many clients preferring to consolidate their storage vendors, presenting opportunities for NetApp to gain share from competitors like Dell and HP [28][32] Financial Performance and Margins - Gross margins have improved from 61% to 71% during George Kurian's tenure as CEO, with a target range of 80% to 85% for the cloud business [64][65] - Operating margins have also seen significant improvement, with a disciplined approach to managing operating expenses [66] AI and Future Outlook - NetApp is well-positioned to support enterprise AI needs, focusing on high-quality, unified data for inferencing and predictive AI applications [46][47] - The company anticipates that AI will drive future growth, although the immediate benefits may be more pronounced in public cloud storage rather than on-premises solutions [49][50] - Upcoming announcements at the NetApp Insight Conference are expected to showcase new capabilities in AI and data management [47][53] Partnerships and M&A Strategy - NetApp maintains partnerships with various hypervisor vendors and is open to future collaborations, including with Nutanix [63] - The company has prioritized returning capital to shareholders over M&A, indicating a cautious approach to acquisitions in a mature market [67][68] Additional Insights - The transition to AI and cloud services is reshaping customer spending patterns, with a focus on efficiency and integration of existing data [55][56] - The company is actively working to enhance its talent pool to support its cloud services and AI initiatives, leveraging a culture of innovation [42][44] This summary encapsulates the key insights from the NetApp conference call, highlighting the company's strategic focus, market dynamics, and future growth opportunities.