NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) Stock Price Down 1.8% – Should You Sell?

NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTCT) shares were down 1.8% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $21.33 and last traded at $21.30. Approximately 52,470 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 88% from the average daily volume of 436,149 shares. The stock had previously closed at $21.70.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on NTCT shares. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective 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. 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 Down 0.7 %

The company has a market capitalization of $1.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.68 and a beta of 0.60. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $22.86 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $21.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 1.81 and a quick ratio of 1.78.

NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The technology company reported $0.78 earnings per share 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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that NetScout Systems, Inc. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at NetScout Systems

In other news, EVP John Downing sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.25, for a total transaction of $72,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 130,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,161,036. This represents a 2.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Michael Szabados sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $844,661.83. This represents a 15.30 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 21,499 shares of company stock worth $512,321. Insiders own 3.71% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NetScout Systems

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NTCT. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its position in shares of NetScout Systems by 71.4% during the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 305,454 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $6,644,000 after acquiring an additional 127,200 shares during the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc grew its position in NetScout Systems by 32.0% in the 3rd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 495,000 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $10,766,000 after buying an additional 120,000 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its position in NetScout Systems by 25.7% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 3,606 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $78,000 after buying an additional 737 shares in the last quarter. Versor Investments LP bought a new position in NetScout Systems in the 3rd quarter valued at about $447,000. 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.