NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) Trading 1.7% Higher – Time to Buy?

NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTCT) was up 1.7% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $21.42 and last traded at $21.49. Approximately 32,925 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 93% from the average daily volume of 503,348 shares. The stock had previously closed at $21.14.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

NetScout Systems Stock Up 2.0 %

The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $22.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $21.88. 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 company has a market capitalization of $1.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.68 and a beta of 0.64.

NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The technology company reported $0.78 EPS 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, sell-side analysts forecast that NetScout Systems, Inc. will post 1.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at NetScout Systems

In other NetScout Systems news, EVP John Downing sold 3,000 shares of the business’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 transaction of $72,750.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 130,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,161,036. The trade was a 2.25 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Jean A. Bua sold 11,999 shares of NetScout Systems stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was 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 approximately $1,706,955.12. This represents a 14.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 21,499 shares of company stock worth $512,321 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 3.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in NTCT. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in shares of NetScout Systems by 1,214.4% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,367 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 1,263 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP raised its holdings in shares of NetScout Systems by 316.8% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,513 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,150 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its stake in NetScout Systems by 32.1% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,964 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 477 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in NetScout Systems by 811.9% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 2,216 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,973 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its position in NetScout Systems by 52.4% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,100 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $67,000 after buying an additional 1,066 shares during the last quarter. 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.