Signal Proxy Intelligence: Proxy Recommendations for NetApp, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTAP)
Independent research firm publishes item-by-item recommendations on all 14 ballot measures within 19 hours of the
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SIGNAL
PROXY INTELLIGENCE
New York, NY – 2026-07-29 · Ticker: NASDAQ:NTAP
Signal Proxy Intelligence Recommends AGAINST on Approval of an amendment to NetApp’s Certificate of Incorporation to reflect recently changed Delaware law provisions regarding officer exculpation at NetApp, Inc. Ahead of Sept. 9, 2026 Annual Meeting
Independent research firm publishes item-by-item recommendations on all 14 ballot measures within 19 hours of the company’s proxy filing. (Within SPI’s standing 48-hour / T+2 commitment.)
NEW YORK, NY — Signal Proxy Intelligence, the independent proxy research division of Signal Law Group, today published its recommendations for the Sept. 9, 2026 annual meeting of NetApp, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTAP). SPI issued a recommendation on each of the 14 items on the ballot, published 19 hours after the company’s definitive proxy statement was accepted on EDGAR.
Reviewing the ballot from the perspective of the common shareholder and using publicly available information only, SPI assigned the meeting a concern band of Elevated. The firm recommends FOR on the advisory vote on executive compensation, citing that the filing states 93.9% of votes cast approved say-on-pay at the 2025 annual meeting.
On the election of directors, SPI recommends FOR all 10 director nominees.
“This ballot included one item where our recommendation diverged from the board’s under our published framework. The meeting carries a concern band of Elevated, and the full rationale for each recommendation is documented in the report.”
— Hayden Smith, Head of Proxy Research
SPI recommends AGAINST on the following items:
- AGAINST on Item 4 (Approval of an amendment to NetApp’s Certificate of Incorporation to reflect recently changed Delaware law provisions regarding officer exculpation): Filing states the amendment would exculpate certain officers from liability for duty of care breaches.
- AGAINST on Item 5 (To approve a stockholder proposal regarding the process for stockholder action by written consent): The filing states stockholders already have written consent rights approved with 98% support in 2021.
SPI will publish a separate post-meeting divergence report comparing its recommendations to those of the incumbent proxy advisors after the meeting results are available.
The complete item-by-item analysis, including the rationale for each recommendation, is available at https://www.signallawgroup.com/proxies/netapp-inc-2026-09-09/.
Ballot Summary: Recommendation by Item
| Item | Title | SPI Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| 1a | Election of T. Michael Nevens | FOR |
| 1b | Election of Deepak Ahuja | FOR |
| 1c | Election of Paul Fipps | FOR |
| 1d | Election of Anders Gustafsson | FOR |
| 1e | Election of Gerald Held | FOR |
| 1f | Election of Deborah L. Kerr | FOR |
| 1g | Election of George Kurian | FOR |
| 1h | Election of Carrie Palin | FOR |
| 1i | Election of Frank Pelzer | FOR |
| 1j | Election of June Yang | FOR |
| 2 | Advisory Vote to Approve Named Executive Officer Compensation (Say-on-Pay) | FOR |
| 3 | Ratification of Deloitte & Touche LLP as Independent Auditor for Fiscal Year 2027 | FOR |
| 4 | Approval of an amendment to NetApp’s Certificate of Incorporation to reflect recently changed Delaware law provisions regarding officer exculpation | AGAINST |
| 5 | To approve a stockholder proposal regarding the process for stockholder action by written consent | AGAINST |
About Signal Proxy Intelligence
SPI is the independent proxy research division of Signal Law Group, an independent research and investigations firm. SPI publishes FOR / AGAINST / WITHHOLD recommendations on every item of every covered proxy ballot within 48 hours of filing, analyzing each measure from the perspective of the common shareholder using publicly available information. SPI accepts no revenue from the companies it covers. Every SPI recommendation is timestamped at publication, fingerprinted, and reconciled against the company’s reported vote.
Media contact
Rochelle Welner
contact@signallawgroup.com
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SPI is an operating company of Signal Law Group, an independent research and investigations firm. SPI is not a law firm, does not provide legal advice, and is not an investment adviser. The recommendations and analysis in this release are independent research provided for informational purposes only. They do not constitute voting advice, investment advice, a recommendation to buy or sell securities, or a solicitation of any kind. Recipients should conduct their own independent analysis and consult their own advisors before making any voting or investment decision. SPI accepts no revenue from the companies it covers.
