NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) Trading Up 0.4% – Still a Buy?

NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTCT)’s stock price rose 0.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $21.95 and last traded at $21.83. Approximately 21,652 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 96% from the average daily volume of 501,626 shares. The stock had previously closed at $21.74.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NTCT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded NetScout Systems from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of NetScout Systems from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st.

NetScout Systems Stock Up 0.3 %

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $22.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $21.91. The company has a market cap of $1.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.72 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 1.81 and a quick ratio of 1.78.

NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The technology company reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.04. NetScout Systems had a positive return on equity of 6.76% and a negative net margin of 50.90%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that NetScout Systems, Inc. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at NetScout Systems

In other news, COO Michael Szabados sold 6,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.47, for a total value of $152,555.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 35,989 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $844,661.83. The trade was a 15.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John Downing sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.25, for a total transaction of $72,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 130,352 shares in the company, valued at $3,161,036. This represents a 2.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 21,499 shares of company stock worth $512,321. Insiders own 3.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in shares of NetScout Systems by 12.2% in the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,118,267 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $89,202,000 after acquiring an additional 448,537 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in NetScout Systems by 137.7% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 388,286 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $8,410,000 after purchasing an additional 224,925 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in NetScout Systems in the fourth quarter valued at $4,480,000. Prudential Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of NetScout Systems by 102.9% in the fourth quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 392,566 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $8,503,000 after buying an additional 199,079 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management raised its stake in shares of NetScout Systems by 205.7% during the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 257,700 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $5,582,000 after buying an additional 173,400 shares during the last quarter. 91.64% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NetScout Systems Company Profile

NetScout Systems, Inc provides service assurance and cybersecurity solutions for protect digital business services against disruptions in the United States, Europe, Asia, and internationally. The company offers nGeniusONE management software that enables customers to predict, preempt, and resolve network and service delivery problems, as well as facilitate the optimization and capacity planning of their network infrastructures; and specialized platforms and analytic modules that enable its customers to analyze and troubleshoot traffic in radio access and Wi-Fi networks.