NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) Shares Down 1% – Should You Sell?

NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTCT)’s stock price dropped 1% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $20.74 and last traded at $20.72. Approximately 44,395 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 92% from the average daily volume of 532,768 shares. The stock had previously closed at $20.93.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of 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 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 Down 2.5 %

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 moving average is $22.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $21.88. The firm has a market cap of $1.46 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.48 and a beta of 0.64.

NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The technology company reported $0.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, analysts predict that NetScout Systems, Inc. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at NetScout Systems

In related 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. This trade represents a 2.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Michael Szabados sold 6,500 shares of NetScout Systems stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.47, for a total transaction of $152,555.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 35,989 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $844,661.83. This trade represents a 15.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 21,499 shares of company stock worth $512,321 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 3.71% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NetScout Systems

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NTCT. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its position in shares of NetScout Systems by 89.1% during the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 121,495 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,632,000 after purchasing an additional 57,239 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in shares of NetScout Systems by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 198,172 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $4,292,000 after buying an additional 13,970 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC increased its stake in NetScout Systems by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 23,030 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $499,000 after acquiring an additional 970 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its holdings in NetScout Systems by 535.5% in the 4th quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 136,059 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,947,000 after acquiring an additional 114,648 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of NetScout Systems by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 30,514 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $661,000 after acquiring an additional 1,294 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.