NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) Shares Up 0.2% – Here’s Why

Shares of NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTCT) traded up 0.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $21.60 and last traded at $21.66. 42,999 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 91% from the average session volume of 501,574 shares. The stock had previously closed at $21.62.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on NTCT. StockNews.com upgraded shares of NetScout Systems from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of NetScout Systems from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st.

NetScout Systems Trading Down 0.2 %

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $22.72 and a 200 day moving average of $21.87. The company has a market cap of $1.53 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.65 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The technology company reported $0.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. On average, analysts predict that NetScout Systems, Inc. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other NetScout Systems news, EVP John Downing sold 3,000 shares of NetScout Systems stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was 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 owns 130,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,161,036. The trade was a 2.25 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 35,989 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $844,661.83. This represents a 15.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 21,499 shares of company stock worth $512,321. 3.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NTCT. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in NetScout Systems by 52.4% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,100 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 1,066 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of NetScout Systems by 2.2% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 28,296 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $615,000 after purchasing an additional 606 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC grew its position in NetScout Systems by 91.0% in the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 7,613 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $166,000 after purchasing an additional 3,627 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its stake in NetScout Systems by 66.5% in the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 446,387 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $9,709,000 after buying an additional 178,269 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of NetScout Systems in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $456,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.64% of the company’s stock.

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.