NetApp is a leading provider of unified storage solutions, which span both block and file based solutions in a single system.

In the last earnings release the company reported 3Q 2012 results in line with analysts’ estimates. For the quarter ended in January NetApp’s revenue rose 21% to $1.57 billion a year earlier. These numbers allowed company to deliver ninth consecutive quarter over 20% year over year revenue growth. Therefore, the third-quarter earnings fell 36% due principally to higher charges and weaker margins.
According to Thomson-Reuters’ consensus, the stock is worth expensive. In fact price earnings ratio for this year is estimated at 28.06; also the “enterprise value / revenue” is high with estimated coefficient for this year at 2.06. These value’s levels are making the security more expensive than industry average.

Technically, the share is close to short and mid-term resistance. This area between 43 and 44 USD could stop the bullish trend seen since early January. Also in weekly data the share is in contact with a long-term resistance at 43.42 USD. The bearish trend could allow share to fill in the gap, which is formed last November. A bullish gap is formed on the occasion of earnings releases. The proximity of resistance levels could push the share in a downward trend in order to fill in the new gap.

Both technical pattern and high value’s fundamental levels, allow us to imagine a bearish trend. We could fix the target price around 40 USD short-term support and moving average 20 periods’ area. We suggest a stop loss above 44 USD, the cross of this zone can allow to continue a bullish trend.