NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) Shares Up 2.5% – What’s Next?

NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTCT)’s stock price rose 2.5% on Monday . The company traded as high as $21.97 and last traded at $21.93. Approximately 33,887 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 93% from the average daily volume of 502,385 shares. The stock had previously closed at $21.39.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports 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 target price on NetScout Systems from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st.

NetScout Systems Trading Up 2.5 %

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $22.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $21.89. The company has a market capitalization of $1.57 billion, a PE ratio of -3.74 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a quick ratio of 1.78, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The technology company reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that NetScout Systems, Inc. will post 1.5 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Michael Szabados sold 6,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.47, for a total transaction of $152,555.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 35,989 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $844,661.83. This trade represents a 15.30 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP John Downing sold 3,000 shares of NetScout Systems stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was 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 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 ninety days, insiders have sold 21,499 shares of company stock valued at $512,321. Corporate 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 modified their holdings of the business. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in NetScout Systems by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,929,551 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $41,975,000 after purchasing an additional 81,154 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of NetScout Systems by 55.0% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 80,507 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,744,000 after buying an additional 28,583 shares in the last quarter. Weiss Asset Management LP bought a new stake in shares of NetScout Systems in the third quarter worth $1,783,000. Citigroup Inc. raised its holdings in 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. Finally, Capstone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in NetScout Systems during the 3rd quarter valued at $940,000. 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.