NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT) Shares Cross Above 200-Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Technical breakout: NetScout shares rose to about $33.36, trading above its 200‑day moving average of $28.53 (50‑day MA $30.91) on ~599,235 shares, signaling a bullish technical move.
• Analyst view mixed: MarketBeat's consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $31, though ratings are split (one Strong Buy, two Holds) and RBC recently cut its target to $29.
• Solid quarterly results and guidance: NetScout beat estimates (EPS $1.00 vs $0.86; revenue $250.7M vs $233.7M) and issued FY2026 guidance of $2.37–$2.45 EPS, while sell‑side expects ~1.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTCT - Get Free Report)'s share price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $28.53 and traded as high as $33.44. NetScout Systems shares last traded at $33.36, with a volume of 599,235 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of NetScout Systems in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of NetScout Systems from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of NetScout Systems from $31.00 to $29.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $31.00.

NetScout Systems Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $2.41 billion, a PE ratio of 25.66 and a beta of 0.58. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $30.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $28.53.

NetScout Systems (NASDAQ:NTCT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The technology company reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.86 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $250.68 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $233.69 million. NetScout Systems had a net margin of 11.13% and a return on equity of 8.49%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.94 earnings per share. NetScout Systems has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.370-2.450 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that NetScout Systems, Inc. will post 1.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP John Downing sold 3,000 shares of the business'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 sale, the executive vice president owned 129,494 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,884,820. The trade was a 2.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 3.82% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of NetScout Systems

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of NetScout Systems during the third quarter worth about $118,440,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of NetScout Systems by 65.8% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 343,551 shares of the technology company's stock worth $8,874,000 after buying an additional 136,377 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC grew its holdings in shares of NetScout Systems by 604.8% during the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 50,255 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,298,000 after buying an additional 43,125 shares in the last quarter. Leuthold Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of NetScout Systems during the third quarter worth about $3,199,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in shares of NetScout Systems by 93.3% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 119,363 shares of the technology company's stock worth $3,205,000 after buying an additional 57,602 shares in the last quarter. 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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