NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) Trading 1.6% Higher – Still a Buy?

Shares of NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTCT) traded up 1.6% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $20.87 and last traded at $20.79. 51,737 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 90% from the average session volume of 530,433 shares. The stock had previously closed at $20.47.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

NetScout Systems Stock Up 1.3 %

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 firm has a market cap of $1.49 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.54 and a beta of 0.64. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $22.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $21.88.

NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The technology company reported $0.78 earnings per share (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%. Research analysts forecast 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 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 130,352 shares in the company, valued at $3,161,036. This represents a 2.25 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, COO Michael Szabados sold 6,500 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 35,989 shares in the company, valued at $844,661.83. This trade represents a 15.30 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 21,499 shares of company stock worth $512,321 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 3.71% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NetScout Systems

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. KBC Group NV increased its holdings in NetScout Systems by 52.4% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,100 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 1,066 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc increased its holdings 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 worth $10,766,000 after acquiring an additional 120,000 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its holdings in NetScout Systems by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 28,296 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $615,000 after acquiring an additional 606 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC increased its holdings in NetScout Systems by 91.0% in the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 7,613 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $166,000 after acquiring an additional 3,627 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in NetScout Systems by 203.8% in the 3rd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,338 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $138,000 after acquiring an additional 4,252 shares in the last quarter. 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.