NetApp Inc. stock gains as Morgan Stanley raises target after strong Q1 figures

Published on 09/21/2026 at 21:15 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS

NetApp Inc. stock is trading near USD 197.79 on Nasdaq as of September 18, 2026, after strong Q1 fiscal 2027 results with revenue up 29.9 percent year over year. Morgan Stanley lifted its price target to USD 173 on September 21, 2026, citing improved enterprise storage demand.

Moderner Serverraum mit Technikern zwischen beleuchteten Rechnerschränken in Rechenzentrum — Fotorealistisches Rechenzentrum symbolisiert NetApp Inc., ISIN US64120B1098, führend in Datenspeicherung und Cloud-Infrastruktur weltweit, Illustration mit AI erstellt.

NetApp Inc. stock (ISIN US64120B1098) is trading close to USD 197.79 on Nasdaq as of September 18, 2026, after a strong start to fiscal 2027 and fresh analyst support that underline the company’s position in data infrastructure and cloud storage.

Analyst upgrade supports NetApp valuation

As Investing.com reported on September 21, 2026, Morgan Stanley upgraded NetApp stock from Underweight to Equalweight and raised its price target from USD 137 to USD 173, pointing to a more favorable outlook for enterprise storage spending.

According to MarketBeat on September 21, 2026, NetApp shares recently opened at USD 197.79, giving the company a market capitalization of about USD 38.85 billion and reflecting a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.90 based on trailing earnings.

Strong Q1 fiscal 2027 figures and dividend

NetApp’s latest quarterly figures for the first quarter of fiscal 2027 show a clear acceleration in operational performance. According to MarketBeat, NetApp reported adjusted earnings of USD 2.58 per share in the most recent quarter, beating analyst consensus of USD 2.12 by USD 0.46.

In the same Q1 fiscal 2027 report, NetApp generated revenue of USD 2.02 billion, which represents an increase of 29.9 percent compared with the prior-year quarter, underscoring the company’s success in data storage and cloud services.MarketBeat

NetApp is also maintaining a shareholder-friendly capital-return profile. As Yahoo Finance notes, the company declared a quarterly cash dividend of USD 0.52 per share with an ex-dividend date of October 9, 2026, equivalent to an annualized payout of USD 2.08 per share.

Market performance and AI-related growth context

NetApp shares have also been benefiting from investor interest in artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure. According to Investing.com on September 21, 2026, NetApp achieved a monthly gain of 7.99 percent in an AI-focused strategy basket, placing it among technology names that have delivered strong returns in the latest period.

From a longer-term perspective, NetApp’s share-price performance has been robust. A performance analysis cited by finanzen.ch on September 21, 2026, highlights that an investment of USD 10,000 in NetApp three years ago would have grown by 160.59 percent to a value of USD 26,059.29 as of September 18, 2026, reflecting a last quoted price of USD 197.79.

In its recent commentary, Zacks noted that NetApp has seen its fiscal 2027 earnings estimates revised upward over the past 60 days and currently carries a Zacks Rank 1, which is the service’s Strong Buy category, reflecting confidence in the company’s AI and cloud-related growth opportunities.

Stock level near recent highs

Per Nasdaq data shown on Yahoo Finance, NetApp stock closed at USD 197.79 on Nasdaq on September 18, 2026, with an after-hours indication of USD 196.00 on the same date, illustrating a modest intraday pullback of 0.90 percent after a regular-session gain of 0.44 percent.

The same overview shows a recent trading range with a low of USD 170.00, an average price of USD 197.00 and a current level of USD 197.79, situating NetApp shares near the upper end of this span as investors react to strong fundamentals and supportive analyst commentary.Yahoo Finance