NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) Shares Down 2.3% – Should You Sell?

NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTCT) traded down 2.3% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $21.31 and last traded at $21.24. 20,702 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 96% from the average session volume of 501,526 shares. The stock had previously closed at $21.74.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted 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. StockNews.com upgraded NetScout Systems from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th.

NetScout Systems Stock Down 2.4 %

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 stock has a market cap of $1.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.62 and a beta of 0.64. The business’s 50 day moving average is $22.69 and its 200 day moving average is $21.94.

NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) last issued its earnings results 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 positive return on equity of 6.76% and a negative net margin of 50.90%. Equities analysts expect that NetScout Systems, Inc. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Jean A. Bua sold 11,999 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 71,361 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,706,955.12. This represents a 14.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Michael Szabados sold 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.47, for a total value of $152,555.00. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 21,499 shares of company stock worth $512,321 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 3.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in NetScout Systems in the third quarter worth approximately $456,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of NetScout Systems by 10.2% during 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 purchasing an additional 108,258 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. increased its stake in shares of NetScout Systems by 28.4% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 163,272 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $3,551,000 after purchasing an additional 36,075 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in NetScout Systems by 5.7% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 36,726 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $799,000 after buying an additional 1,995 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its holdings in NetScout Systems by 32.1% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,964 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 477 shares during the last quarter. 91.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

NetScout Systems Company Profile

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.