NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) Shares Up 0.8% – Here’s Why

Shares of NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTCT) traded up 0.8% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $21.15 and last traded at $20.90. 44,461 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 91% from the average session volume of 508,442 shares. The stock had previously closed at $20.73.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NTCT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of NetScout Systems from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th.

NetScout Systems Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 1.78 and a current ratio of 1.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.52 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.61 and a beta of 0.64. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $22.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $21.88.

NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) last announced its earnings results 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%. As a group, analysts expect that NetScout Systems, Inc. will post 1.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at NetScout Systems

In other NetScout Systems news, insider Jean A. Bua sold 11,999 shares of the business’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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 71,361 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,706,955.12. The trade was a 14.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Michael Szabados sold 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.47, for a total value of $152,555.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 35,989 shares in the company, valued at $844,661.83. This trade represents a 15.30 % decrease in their position. 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 owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in NTCT. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in NetScout Systems by 1,214.4% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,367 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,263 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its stake in shares of NetScout Systems by 316.8% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,513 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 1,150 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of NetScout Systems by 32.1% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,964 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 477 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its stake in NetScout Systems by 811.9% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 2,216 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 1,973 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its holdings in NetScout Systems by 52.4% during the third 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 during the period. 91.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About NetScout Systems

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.