NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) Stock Price Up 0.4% – Should You Buy?

NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTCT)’s share price rose 0.4% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $21.95 and last traded at $21.83. Approximately 21,652 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 96% from the average daily volume of 501,626 shares. The stock had previously closed at $21.74.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on NTCT. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on NetScout Systems from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com raised shares of NetScout Systems from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th.

NetScout Systems Stock Up 0.3 %

The company has a market capitalization of $1.56 billion, a PE ratio of -3.72 and a beta of 0.64. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $22.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $21.91. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The technology company reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. Equities research analysts predict that NetScout Systems, Inc. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at NetScout Systems

In other news, EVP John Downing sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.25, for a total value of $72,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 130,352 shares of the company’s stock, 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 can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 35,989 shares in the company, valued at approximately $844,661.83. The trade was a 15.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 21,499 shares of company stock worth $512,321 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 3.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in shares of NetScout Systems by 12.2% in the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,118,267 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $89,202,000 after buying an additional 448,537 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in NetScout Systems by 137.7% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 388,286 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $8,410,000 after acquiring an additional 224,925 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in NetScout Systems during the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,480,000. Prudential Financial Inc. grew its holdings in NetScout Systems by 102.9% during the 4th quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 392,566 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $8,503,000 after acquiring an additional 199,079 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management increased its position in shares of NetScout Systems by 205.7% in the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 257,700 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $5,582,000 after purchasing an additional 173,400 shares during the last quarter. 91.64% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.