NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) Sets New 52-Week High - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Shares hit a new 52-week high of $31.58 on volume of 605,076, trading above its 50-day ($28.90) and 200-day ($27.52) moving averages and carrying a market cap of about $2.28 billion.
• NetScout beat expectations with Q EPS of $1.00 (vs. $0.86 expected) and revenue of $250.68M (vs. $233.69M), set FY2026 guidance of $2.370–2.450 EPS, and holds a consensus analyst rating of Moderate Buy with an average $31 price target.
• EVP John Downing sold 3,000 shares (~$90,000), insiders own 3.82% of stock while institutional investors control roughly 91.64% of outstanding shares.

Shares of NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTCT - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $31.58 and last traded at $31.56, with a volume of 605076 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $30.05.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on NTCT shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of NetScout Systems in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of NetScout Systems from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on shares of NetScout Systems from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $31.00.

NetScout Systems Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $28.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $27.52. The company has a market cap of $2.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.28 and a beta of 0.63.

NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The technology company reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.86 by $0.14. NetScout Systems had a return on equity of 8.49% and a net margin of 11.13%.The company had revenue of $250.68 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $233.69 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.94 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. NetScout Systems has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.370-2.450 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that NetScout Systems, Inc. will post 1.5 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP John Downing sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.00, for a total transaction of $90,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 129,494 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,884,820. This trade represents a 2.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 3.82% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of NetScout Systems

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in NTCT. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in shares of NetScout Systems by 1,857.1% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,096 shares of the technology company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 1,040 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in NetScout Systems by 147.2% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,011 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 602 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in NetScout Systems by 92.8% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,290 shares of the technology company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 621 shares during the period. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new position in NetScout Systems in the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new stake in NetScout Systems during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.64% of the company's stock.

About NetScout Systems

NetScout Systems, Inc is a leading provider of network performance management, service assurance and cybersecurity solutions. The company designs and delivers hardware and software platforms that capture and analyze real-time and historical packet data, enabling IT teams and service providers to monitor application performance, troubleshoot network issues and defend against distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. NetScout's flagship offerings include the nGeniusONE service assurance platform and the InfiniStream packet broker, which together provide end-to-end visibility across hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

Founded in 1984 and headquartered in Westford, Massachusetts, NetScout has built a reputation for scalable and resilient monitoring infrastructure.

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