NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTCT) Shares Purchased by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTCT - Free Report) by 126.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 35,563 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 19,884 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc.'s holdings in NetScout Systems were worth $770,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in NTCT. FMR LLC boosted its stake in NetScout Systems by 32.1% during 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 period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of NetScout Systems by 17.0% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,495 shares of the technology company's stock worth $76,000 after buying an additional 508 shares during the period. KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of NetScout Systems by 45.1% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,498 shares of the technology company's stock worth $97,000 after buying an additional 1,398 shares during the last quarter. Inceptionr LLC acquired a new position in NetScout Systems in the 4th quarter valued at about $221,000. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in NetScout Systems during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $298,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.64% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, 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 research note on Friday, January 31st.

NetScout Systems Stock Performance

NetScout Systems stock traded down $0.12 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $19.93. 47,749 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 537,112. NetScout Systems, Inc. has a 52-week low of $17.10 and a 52-week high of $27.89. The stock has a market cap of $1.43 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.40 and a beta of 0.66. 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 firm's 50 day moving average is $21.74 and its 200 day moving average is $21.88.

NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The technology company reported $0.78 earnings per share 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%. Analysts predict that NetScout Systems, Inc. will post 1.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, 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 transaction of $152,555.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 35,989 shares of the company's stock, valued at $844,661.83. This trade represents a 15.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Jean A. Bua sold 11,999 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.92, for a total transaction of $287,016.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 71,361 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,706,955.12. The trade was 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 worth $512,321 over the last ninety days. 3.71% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.