NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) Trading Up 0.8% – Still a Buy?

NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTCT)’s share price was up 0.8% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $21.15 and last traded at $20.90. Approximately 44,461 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 91% from the average daily volume of 508,442 shares. The stock had previously closed at $20.73.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NTCT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of NetScout Systems from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a 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 Trading Up 0.4 %

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 firm has a market cap of $1.52 billion, a PE ratio of -3.61 and a beta of 0.64. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $22.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.88.

NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) last issued 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%. Equities analysts forecast that NetScout Systems, Inc. will post 1.5 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Jean A. Bua sold 11,999 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.92, for a total value of $287,016.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 71,361 shares in the company, valued at $1,706,955.12. This trade represents a 14.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John Downing sold 3,000 shares of NetScout Systems 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 transaction, the executive vice president now directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 21,499 shares of company stock worth $512,321. Company insiders own 3.71% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NetScout Systems

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its position in NetScout Systems by 89.1% during the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 121,495 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,632,000 after buying an additional 57,239 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in shares of NetScout Systems by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 198,172 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $4,292,000 after purchasing an additional 13,970 shares during the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC boosted its stake in NetScout Systems by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 23,030 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $499,000 after purchasing an additional 970 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its position in NetScout Systems by 535.5% during the 4th quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 136,059 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $2,947,000 after purchasing an additional 114,648 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC increased its stake in NetScout Systems by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 30,514 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $661,000 after purchasing an additional 1,294 shares in 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.