NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) Trading Down 1% - What's Next?

NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTCT - Get Free Report)'s share price fell 1% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $20.74 and last traded at $20.72. 44,395 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 92% from the average session volume of 532,768 shares. The stock had previously closed at $20.93.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on NetScout Systems from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com raised NetScout Systems from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th.

NetScout Systems Price Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average of $22.75 and a 200-day moving average of $21.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The stock has a market cap of $1.49 billion, a PE ratio of -3.54 and a beta of 0.64.

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

Remove Ads

Insider Activity at NetScout Systems

In other NetScout Systems news, 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 transaction of $72,750.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 130,352 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,161,036. This trade represents a 2.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Michael Szabados sold 6,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 35,989 shares in the company, valued at approximately $844,661.83. This trade represents a 15.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 21,499 shares of company stock valued at $512,321 over the last 90 days. 3.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NetScout Systems

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in NetScout Systems by 1,214.4% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,367 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 1,263 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP grew its position in NetScout Systems by 316.8% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,513 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 1,150 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its position 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 buying an additional 477 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its position in NetScout Systems by 811.9% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 2,216 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 1,973 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its position in NetScout Systems by 52.4% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,100 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 1,066 shares during the last quarter. 91.64% of the stock is currently 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.