NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) Stock Price Up 0.6% - Still a Buy?

NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTCT - Get Free Report) rose 0.6% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $21.99 and last traded at $21.97. Approximately 28,867 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 94% from the average daily volume of 503,477 shares. The stock had previously closed at $21.84.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on NTCT. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on NetScout Systems from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com raised shares of NetScout Systems from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th.

NetScout Systems Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $1.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.59 and a beta of 0.64. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $22.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $21.91. 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 - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 predict that NetScout Systems, Inc. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at NetScout Systems

In related news, insider Jean A. Bua sold 11,999 shares of the firm's 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 of the company's stock, valued at $1,706,955.12. This trade represents a 14.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Michael Szabados sold 6,500 shares of the business's 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 in the company, valued at approximately $844,661.83. The trade was a 15.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 21,499 shares of company stock valued at $512,321. 3.71% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NTCT. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of NetScout Systems by 1,214.4% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,367 shares of the technology company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 1,263 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP grew its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 1,150 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised 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 valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 477 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of NetScout Systems by 811.9% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 2,216 shares of the technology company's stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,973 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of NetScout Systems during the fourth quarter worth $71,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.64% of the company's stock.

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.