Impax Asset Management Group plc Boosts Stock Position in NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTCT)

Impax Asset Management Group plc boosted its position in shares of NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTCT) by 15.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 570,000 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 75,000 shares during the quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc’s holdings in NetScout Systems were worth $12,346,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd lifted its position in shares of NetScout Systems by 187.5% during the fourth quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 32,692 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $708,000 after purchasing an additional 21,320 shares in the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC purchased a new stake in NetScout Systems during the 4th quarter worth approximately $553,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in NetScout Systems by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 23,968 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $519,000 after buying an additional 792 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in NetScout Systems by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 347,650 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $7,530,000 after buying an additional 11,617 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of NetScout Systems by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 43,148 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $935,000 after acquiring an additional 2,008 shares in the last quarter. 91.64% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NetScout Systems Trading Down 0.8 %

NASDAQ NTCT opened at $23.52 on Tuesday. NetScout Systems, Inc. has a 52 week low of $17.10 and a 52 week high of $27.89. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $22.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $21.73. The company has a quick ratio of 1.78, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.69 billion, a PE ratio of -4.01 and a beta of 0.60.

NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) last released 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 negative net margin of 50.90% and a positive return on equity of 6.76%. As a group, research analysts expect that NetScout Systems, Inc. will post 1.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Michael Szabados sold 6,500 shares of NetScout Systems stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.47, for a total transaction of $152,555.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 35,989 shares in the company, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 21,499 shares of company stock worth $512,321 over the last 90 days. 3.71% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

NetScout Systems 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.