NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) Stock Price Up 0.4% – What’s Next?

NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTCT)’s share price rose 0.4% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $21.95 and last traded at $21.83. Approximately 21,652 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 96% from the average daily volume of 501,626 shares. The stock had previously closed at $21.74.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised NetScout Systems from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. 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 report on Friday, January 31st.

NetScout Systems Trading Down 2.4 %

The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $22.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $21.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.52 billion, a PE ratio of -3.62 and a beta of 0.64. 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) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The technology company reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities analysts expect that NetScout Systems, Inc. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at NetScout Systems

In other NetScout Systems news, insider Jean A. Bua sold 11,999 shares of the 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 sale, the insider now owns 71,361 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,706,955.12. This trade represents a 14.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Michael Szabados sold 6,500 shares of NetScout Systems stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 35,989 shares in the company, valued at approximately $844,661.83. This represents a 15.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 21,499 shares of company stock worth $512,321. Insiders own 3.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of NetScout Systems

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NTCT. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in NetScout Systems by 1,214.4% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,367 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,263 shares during the period. Quarry LP boosted its stake in shares of NetScout Systems by 316.8% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,513 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,150 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of NetScout Systems by 32.1% during the third 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 period. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its stake in NetScout Systems by 811.9% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 2,216 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 1,973 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in NetScout Systems in the fourth quarter worth about $71,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.64% of the company’s stock.

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.