Home Compare GEN vs NTAP
Stock Comparison · Industry comparison · Software - Infrastructure

Gen Digital vs NetApp: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

NetApp holds the cleaner structural position, with profitability as the main driver and valuation adding further support. Gen Digital still has the edge on valuation, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. On the market side, NetApp is in better shape — its trend is intact while Gen Digital's trend has broken down. That puts structure and market broadly in agreement — NetApp's lead looks more confirmed than conflicted.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-08-16

Profitability remains the main source of distance in the comparison. The overall score gap is 19 points in favour of NetApp, Inc..

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Software - Infrastructure

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. GEN and NTAP share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how Gen Digital and NetApp each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
GEN
Gen Digital Inc.
49
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
NTAP
NetApp, Inc.
68
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: GEN vs NTAP Profitability 21 92 Stability 35 52 Valuation 82 51 Growth 56 74 GEN NTAP
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +71
#2 Valuation +31
#3 Growth +18
#4 Stability +17
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for GEN and NTAP Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer GENNTAP Relative valuation Structural strength

NetApp, Inc. occupies the cheaper side of the setup map, although Gen Digital Inc. still holds the stronger structural profile.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where GEN and NTAP each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY GEN Elevated · near norm 0th 50th 100th 7 pct gap NTAP Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 92nd 99th
GEN (92nd percentile) and NTAP (99th percentile) both sit in the upper portion of their own 5-year ranges. The historical entry context is broadly similar for both. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Profitability
On profitability, NetApp, Inc. ranks near the top of the group; Gen Digital Inc. sits in the weaker half.
Valuation
On valuation, the same pattern holds: both are strong, but Gen Digital Inc. still leads clearly.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
GEN
21
NTAP
92
Gap+71in favour of NTAP

Capital efficiency adds support, with a 259-point ROIC advantage.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Absolute pricing still looks more supportive for Gen Digital, with a forward P/E that is 12.2 turns lower there.

What this means for the comparison

The profitability lead is clear, but pricing and valuation still pull in the other direction — the result holds, but not without friction.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the GEN vs NTAP comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Other comparisons with conflicting dimension signals

Explore how GEN and NTAP each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.