NTAP FFIV fall after Avnet (AVT), issues profit warning which distributes various technology components and products, is dropping after the company reported earlier today that its first quarter earnings per share and revenue would be significantly below analysts' consensus estimates. The company blamed several factors for the shortfall, including better than expected sales in Asia where its profit margins are relatively low, and weaker sales in Western regions where its profit margins are higher. Sales at Avnet's Technology Solutions unit also came in below expectations, the company added. In a note earlier today to investors, research firm Oppenheimer wrote that NetApp's (NTAP) shares could be negatively affected by Avnet's weaker than expected results, as Avnet accounted for about 14% of NetApp's revenue from May-July, Oppenheimer reported. Another key Avnet partner is F5 (FFIV), as Avnet is the largest distributor of F5 products and accounts for 15%-20% of F5's revenue, the firm wrote. Oppenheimer believes that most of the weakness in Avnet's Technology Solutions unit was caused by weak server sales. As a result, the firm thinks that Avnet's weakness could bode badly for IBM (IBM) and HP (HPQ), which are both among the top buyers of Avnet's server solutions, according to the firm. In mid-morning trading, Avnet dropped 5.95% to $26.87, NetApp (NTAP) lost 2.27% to $29.52, F5 dropped 2.62% to $99.41, IBM (IBM) inched down 0.22% to $207.53, and HP gave back 0.21% to $14.34. :
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