NETGEAR (NTGR) Enhances Portfolio With Game Booster Launch

NETGEAR Inc. NTGR recently augmented its portfolio by introducing a feature-packed service for gaming buffs. Dubbed the NETGEAR Game Booster, the service is likely to be a strategic fit for gaming enthusiasts and offers an integrated solution to enhance performance and eliminate unnecessary network lag.

Powered by DumaOS — a powerful router operating system that offers control of the home network system — NETGEAR Game Booster is equipped with essential features for a superior gaming experience. These include Ping Heatmap, which helps players identify and choose the fastest game servers for their preferred games by viewing and analyzing ping for servers and Geo-Filter that reduces lag by selecting best-performing servers based on distance and ping rate. It further allocates and prioritizes bandwidth usage to gaming devices and applications through the Network Priority feature while Bandwidth (NASDAQ:BAND) Allocation and Traffic Prioritization enable to control bandwidth and prioritize gaming traffic for a seamless experience.

In addition, the NETGEAR Game Booster includes an Adblocker feature that helps to block unwanted ads and limits tracking from other websites. The service is priced at $49.99 per year following a 30-day free trial.

NETGEAR is likely to bolster positive cash flow and boost its paid subscriber base to drive the momentum in 2022. A solid work-from-home networking market backed by a robust demand environment is a major tailwind as well.

The company continues to introduce products and services that hinge on affordability, reliability and ease of use. In order to capitalize on the increasing demand for cloud-based applications for small and medium-sized enterprises, NETGEAR is introducing next-generation commercial products. These include PoE switches, Multi-gigabit Ethernet switches, high capacity local and remote unified storage, small-to-medium capacity campus wireless LAN and security appliances. These products are likely to augment the effectiveness and efficiency of its hybrid cloud access network and strengthen its position in the market.

With an exponential growth in data traffic, consumers, businesses and service providers need a complete set of wired and wireless networking and broadband products that are tailored to their specific needs and budgets. The company’s products are designed with an industrial appearance, including metal cases, the ability to mount the product within standard data networking racks as well as unique mounting solutions for other uses and targeting the business market. These products typically include higher port counts, higher data transfer rates and other performance characteristics designed to meet the needs of a business user, providing a competitive edge to outsmart its rivals.

Shares of NETGEAR have lost 25.2% in the past year against the industry’s rise of 41.5%. Nevertheless, we remain impressed with the inherent growth potential of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock.

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A better-ranked stock in the broader industry is Clearfield (NASDAQ:CLFD), Inc. CLFD, sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Clearfield delivered an earnings surprise of 50.8%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. Earnings estimates for the current year for the stock have moved up 68.2% since January 2021. Over the past year, Clearfield has gained a solid 230.4%.

Aviat Networks (NASDAQ:AVNW), Inc. AVNW, carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), is another solid pick for investors. It delivered an earnings surprise of 32.1%, on average, in the trailing four quarters.

Over the past year, Aviat has gained 90.9%. Earnings estimates for the current year for the stock have moved up 6.9% over the past 90 days. Aviat is likely to benefit in the long run from solid rural broadband network expansion policies.

Sierra Wireless (NASDAQ:SWIR), Inc. SWIR carries a Zacks Rank #2. It has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 12.5% and delivered an earnings surprise of 34.2%, on average, in the trailing four quarters.

Over the past year, Sierra Wireless has gained 17.4%. The company continues to launch innovative products for business-critical operations that require high security and optimum 5G performance.

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