NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) Shares Up 2.5% – Here’s Why

Shares of NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTCT) traded up 2.5% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $21.97 and last traded at $21.93. 33,887 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 93% from the average session volume of 502,385 shares. The stock had previously closed at $21.39.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

NetScout Systems Trading Up 2.5 %

The company has a market cap of $1.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.74 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. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $22.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $21.89.

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

Insider Activity

In other NetScout Systems news, EVP John Downing sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.25, for a total value of $72,750.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 130,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,161,036. This represents a 2.25 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Jean A. Bua sold 11,999 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.92, for a total transaction of $287,016.08. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 71,361 shares in the company, valued at $1,706,955.12. This represents a 14.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 21,499 shares of company stock worth $512,321 over the last three months. 3.71% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NTCT. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of NetScout Systems by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,353,501 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $202,597,000 after purchasing an additional 64,475 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 448,537 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in NetScout Systems by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,098,279 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $67,388,000 after buying an additional 109,569 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of NetScout Systems by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,959,996 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $42,463,000 after acquiring an additional 30,445 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of NetScout Systems by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,432,901 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $31,037,000 after acquiring an additional 62,603 shares during the period. 91.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.