NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) Shares Down 1% – Time to Sell?

NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTCT)’s share price was down 1% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $20.74 and last traded at $20.72. Approximately 44,395 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 92% from the average daily volume of 532,768 shares. The stock had previously closed at $20.93.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on NTCT shares. StockNews.com raised NetScout Systems from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price 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 Stock Performance

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 50-day simple moving average of $22.75 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.87. The company has a market capitalization of $1.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.54 and a beta of 0.64.

NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The technology company reported $0.78 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.04. NetScout Systems had a positive return on equity of 6.76% and a negative net margin of 50.90%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that NetScout Systems, Inc. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Michael Szabados sold 6,500 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 35,989 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $844,661.83. This represents a 15.30 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 130,352 shares in the company, valued at $3,161,036. This trade represents a 2.25 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 21,499 shares of company stock valued at $512,321. Insiders own 3.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of NetScout Systems

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NTCT. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of NetScout Systems by 224,935.8% in the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,056,827 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $44,736,000 after acquiring an additional 2,055,913 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position 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 worth $89,202,000 after acquiring an additional 448,537 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of NetScout Systems by 137.7% in the 4th 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 period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of NetScout Systems in the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,480,000. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of NetScout Systems by 102.9% in 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 during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.