NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) Stock Price Down 0.7% – Time to Sell?

Shares of NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTCT) dropped 0.7% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $20.86 and last traded at $20.90. Approximately 37,277 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 93% from the average daily volume of 507,713 shares. The stock had previously closed at $21.05.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

The business’s 50 day moving average price is $22.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $21.88. The stock has a market cap of $1.55 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.69 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The technology company reported $0.78 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, sell-side analysts expect that NetScout Systems, Inc. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Jean A. Bua sold 11,999 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.92, for a total transaction of $287,016.08. Following the sale, the insider now owns 71,361 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,706,955.12. The trade was a 14.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, COO Michael Szabados sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 35,989 shares in the company, valued at approximately $844,661.83. This represents a 15.30 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 21,499 shares of company stock valued at $512,321 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 3.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NTCT. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of NetScout Systems by 1,214.4% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Quarry LP raised its holdings 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 valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,150 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised 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 valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 477 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of NetScout Systems by 811.9% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,066 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.64% of the company’s stock.

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.