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NetApp vs Zscaler: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

NetApp holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across profitability and growth. Zscaler does not offset that deficit through any equally strong structural edge elsewhere. On the market side, NetApp is in better shape — its trend is intact while Zscaler'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 Russell 1000 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-07-05

The clearest separation starts in profitability, but growth adds another real layer to the result. NetApp, Inc. leads by 27 points on the overall comparison score.

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Software - Infrastructure

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

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

Peer-Relative Score
NTAP
NetApp, Inc.
73
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Russell 1000
vs
ZS
Zscaler, Inc.
46
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Russell 1000

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

Score differences across key dimensions.

Dimension spread: NTAP vs ZS Profitability 92 33 Stability 44 35 Valuation 69 69 Growth 79 45 NTAP ZS
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +59
#2 Growth +34
#3 Stability +9
#4 Valuation
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for NTAP and ZS Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer NTAPZS Relative valuation Structural strength

NetApp, Inc. looks stronger both structurally and on relative valuation.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) and Forward P/E where available.

Entry today — historical context

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

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY NTAP Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 77 pct gap ZS Lower · below norm 0th 50th 100th 98th 22nd
Today ZS sits in the lower portion of its own 5-year history (22nd percentile), while NTAP sits higher in its own history (98th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, ZS is at a historically more favourable entry position than NTAP. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger — peer-relative analysis is a separate question addressed above.

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

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Profitability
NetApp, Inc. ranks near the top of the group on profitability; Zscaler, Inc. sits in the weaker half.
Growth
On growth, the same pattern holds: both are strong, but NetApp, Inc. still leads clearly.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
NTAP
92
ZS
33
Gap+59in favour of NTAP

The profitability lead is mainly driven by a 31-point operating margin advantage.

What else supports the lead

Growth still reinforces the same direction, which makes the lead look broader across the profile.

What this means for the comparison

The lead is built on both profitability and growth, making it broader than a single-dimension result.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

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

Explore full breakdown →
Similar profitability-and-growth comparisons

Explore how NTAP and ZS 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.