NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) Hits New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTCT) shares hit a new 52-week high on Friday . The company traded as high as $41.67 and last traded at $41.6540, with a volume of 168412 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $39.44.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on NTCT shares. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of NetScout Systems from $29.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of NetScout Systems from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, May 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of NetScout Systems from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $35.50.

NetScout Systems Trading Up 4.6%

The firm has a market capitalization of $2.95 billion, a PE ratio of 31.73 and a beta of 0.61. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $33.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $29.96.

NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The technology company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $203.04 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $198.64 million. NetScout Systems had a net margin of 11.11% and a return on equity of 8.37%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.52 EPS. NetScout Systems has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.650-2.800 EPS. Research analysts forecast that NetScout Systems, Inc. will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at NetScout Systems

In related news, Director Alfred Grasso sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.67, for a total value of $203,350.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 35,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,423,450. This represents a 12.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 3.82% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NetScout Systems

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in shares of NetScout Systems by 147.2% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,011 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 602 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of NetScout Systems by 92.8% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,290 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 621 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new position in shares of NetScout Systems in the third quarter valued at $35,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of NetScout Systems in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of NetScout Systems by 1,936.4% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,016 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 1,917 shares in the last quarter. 91.64% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About NetScout Systems

NetScout Systems, Inc is a leading provider of network performance management, service assurance and cybersecurity solutions. The company designs and delivers hardware and software platforms that capture and analyze real-time and historical packet data, enabling IT teams and service providers to monitor application performance, troubleshoot network issues and defend against distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. NetScout’s flagship offerings include the nGeniusONE service assurance platform and the InfiniStream packet broker, which together provide end-to-end visibility across hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

Founded in 1984 and headquartered in Westford, Massachusetts, NetScout has built a reputation for scalable and resilient monitoring infrastructure.