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

NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTCT)’s stock price was down 1% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $21.07 and last traded at $21.23. Approximately 141,018 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 72% from the average daily volume of 498,019 shares. The stock had previously closed at $21.44.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on NTCT. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on NetScout Systems from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com upgraded NetScout Systems from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th.

NetScout Systems Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.65 and a beta of 0.64. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $22.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $21.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.78, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The technology company reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, equities research analysts expect that NetScout Systems, Inc. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other NetScout Systems news, COO Michael Szabados sold 6,500 shares of the 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 owns 35,989 shares in the company, valued at $844,661.83. This trade represents a 15.30 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP John Downing sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.25, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 2.25 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 21,499 shares of company stock valued at $512,321. Insiders own 3.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in NetScout Systems by 4.4% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,929,551 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $41,975,000 after buying an additional 81,154 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. grew its holdings in shares of NetScout Systems by 28.4% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 163,272 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $3,551,000 after purchasing an additional 36,075 shares in the last quarter. Weiss Asset Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of NetScout Systems during the 3rd quarter worth $1,783,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in NetScout Systems by 55.0% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 80,507 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,744,000 after purchasing an additional 28,583 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capstone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in NetScout Systems in the third quarter valued at about $940,000. 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.