NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) Stock Price Up 0.7% – Should You Buy?

NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTCT) shot up 0.7% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $21.40 and last traded at $21.45. 34,282 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 94% from the average session volume of 534,852 shares. The stock had previously closed at $21.30.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. 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 target price 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 Stock Up 1.2 %

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $22.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $21.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.68 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%. Equities analysts expect that NetScout Systems, Inc. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at NetScout Systems

In other NetScout Systems news, EVP John Downing sold 3,000 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 130,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,161,036. The trade was a 2.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Michael Szabados sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.47, for a total value of $152,555.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 35,989 shares in the company, valued at $844,661.83. This represents a 15.30 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 21,499 shares of company stock valued at $512,321. 3.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NetScout Systems

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake 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 worth $30,000 after buying an additional 1,263 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 1,150 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of NetScout Systems by 32.1% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,964 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 477 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted 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 valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,973 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of NetScout Systems in the fourth quarter valued at about $71,000. 91.64% of the stock is 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.