NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) Shares Up 2.5% – Should You Buy?

Shares of NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTCT) shot up 2.5% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $21.97 and last traded at $21.93. 33,887 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 93% from the average session volume of 502,385 shares. The stock had previously closed at $21.39.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of NetScout Systems from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on NetScout Systems from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st.

NetScout Systems Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.56 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.71 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 1.78 and a current ratio of 1.81. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $22.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $21.91.

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

Insider Transactions at NetScout Systems

In other NetScout Systems news, COO Michael Szabados sold 6,500 shares of NetScout Systems stock in a transaction dated 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. The trade was a 15.30 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Jean A. Bua sold 11,999 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 71,361 shares in the company, valued at $1,706,955.12. This represents a 14.39 % 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 in the last 90 days. 3.71% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NetScout Systems

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NTCT. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of NetScout Systems by 2.2% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 28,296 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $615,000 after purchasing an additional 606 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC increased its stake in NetScout Systems by 91.0% in the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 7,613 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $166,000 after buying an additional 3,627 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of NetScout Systems during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $456,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of NetScout Systems by 10.2% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,165,443 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $25,348,000 after buying an additional 108,258 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Citigroup Inc. grew its holdings in shares of NetScout Systems by 28.4% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 163,272 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $3,551,000 after acquiring an additional 36,075 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 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.