NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) Trading Up 0.4% – Here’s Why

Shares of NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTCT) shot up 0.4% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $21.07 and last traded at $20.93. 50,390 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 91% from the average session volume of 541,252 shares. The stock had previously closed at $20.84.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on NetScout Systems from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of NetScout Systems from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th.

NetScout Systems Price Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average of $22.83 and a 200 day moving average of $21.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.58 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a quick ratio of 1.78, a current ratio of 1.81 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 EPS 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, equities research analysts forecast that NetScout Systems, Inc. will post 1.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NetScout Systems

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in NTCT. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of NetScout Systems by 1,214.4% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,367 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 1,263 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its stake in shares of NetScout Systems by 316.8% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,513 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,150 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of NetScout Systems by 32.1% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,964 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 477 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of NetScout Systems by 811.9% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 2,216 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 1,973 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,066 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.