NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) Trading Up 0.8% - Should You Buy?

NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTCT - Get Free Report)'s share price shot up 0.8% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $21.15 and last traded at $20.90. 44,461 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 91% from the average session volume of 508,442 shares. The stock had previously closed at $20.73.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded NetScout Systems from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of NetScout Systems from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st.

NetScout Systems Stock Down 0.8 %

The company has a quick ratio of 1.78, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The company has a market cap of $1.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.66 and a beta of 0.64. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $22.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.87.

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

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Insider Activity at NetScout Systems

In related news, insider Jean A. Bua sold 11,999 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was 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 owns 71,361 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,706,955.12. The trade was a 14.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 three months, insiders have sold 21,499 shares of company stock worth $512,321. 3.71% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NetScout Systems

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NTCT. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in NetScout Systems by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,353,501 shares of the technology company's stock worth $202,597,000 after acquiring an additional 64,475 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc increased its holdings in shares of NetScout Systems by 12.2% during the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,118,267 shares of the technology company's stock worth $89,202,000 after purchasing an additional 448,537 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of NetScout Systems by 3.7% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,098,279 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $67,388,000 after buying an additional 109,569 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of NetScout Systems by 224,935.8% in the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,056,827 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $44,736,000 after buying an additional 2,055,913 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in NetScout Systems by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,959,996 shares of the technology company's stock worth $42,463,000 after buying an additional 30,445 shares in the last quarter. 91.64% of the stock is owned by 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.