AQR Capital Management LLC Buys 17,453 Shares of NetScout Systems, Inc. $NTCT

Key Points

• AQR Capital Management increased its stake in NetScout Systems by 4.1%, owning 444,318 shares valued at $9.3 million, while institutional investors overall own 91.64% of the company's stock.
• NetScout Systems reported a quarterly EPS of $0.34, exceeding analysts' expectations of $0.29, and its revenue increased by 6.9% year-over-year, reaching $186.75 million.
• Recent analyst ratings for NetScout Systems include a "buy" rating from B. Riley with a price target of $33.00, while the average price target is $29.00.

AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTCT - Free Report) by 4.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 444,318 shares of the technology company's stock after acquiring an additional 17,453 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned about 0.62% of NetScout Systems worth $9,335,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in NetScout Systems by 284.9% in the first quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 52,276 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,098,000 after purchasing an additional 38,693 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in shares of NetScout Systems by 23.3% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 51,798 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,088,000 after buying an additional 9,802 shares during the last quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of NetScout Systems by 117.6% in the first quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC now owns 38,778 shares of the technology company's stock worth $815,000 after acquiring an additional 20,961 shares during the period. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in NetScout Systems during the first quarter valued at $106,000. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP lifted its holdings in NetScout Systems by 62.9% in the first quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 256,853 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $5,396,000 after acquiring an additional 99,224 shares during the period. 91.64% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NetScout Systems Trading Down 0.8%

NASDAQ NTCT traded down $0.20 on Tuesday, reaching $25.21. 405,002 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 520,382. NetScout Systems, Inc. has a one year low of $18.12 and a one year high of $27.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.81 billion, a PE ratio of 25.21 and a beta of 0.73. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $23.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $22.48.

NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The technology company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $186.75 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $181.50 million. NetScout Systems had a net margin of 8.72% and a return on equity of 7.47%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.28 earnings per share. NetScout Systems has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.40 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that NetScout Systems, Inc. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at NetScout Systems

In related news, Director Alfred Grasso sold 5,644 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.44, for a total transaction of $137,939.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 33,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $806,520. This trade represents a 14.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael Szabados sold 4,000 shares of NetScout Systems stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.91, for a total value of $91,640.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 38,939 shares in the company, valued at $892,092.49. This trade represents a 9.32% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 15,000 shares of company stock worth $358,873. Insiders own 3.82% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, B. Riley started coverage on shares of NetScout Systems in a research note on Tuesday, August 26th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $33.00 price objective on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, NetScout Systems currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $29.00.

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.