StockNews.com Lowers Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) to Sell

StockNews.com lowered shares of Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report report published on Wednesday morning.

NTRA has been the topic of several other reports. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Natera from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 9th. Stephens reiterated an overweight rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, August 9th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Natera in a report on Monday, June 3rd. They issued a buy rating and a $142.00 target price on the stock. Finally, BTIG Research upped their target price on Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $120.07.

Natera Stock Performance

NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $118.26 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $14.52 billion, a P/E ratio of -37.90 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a current ratio of 4.12, a quick ratio of 3.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $111.03 and its 200-day moving average is $100.64. Natera has a 1-year low of $36.90 and a 1-year high of $124.83.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.30) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.69) by $0.39. The company had revenue of $413.35 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $343.00 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 49.72% and a negative net margin of 30.24%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 58.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted ($0.97) earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Natera will post -2.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,105 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.61, for a total value of $681,379.05. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 213,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,812,105.11. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,105 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.61, for a total transaction of $681,379.05. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 213,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,812,105.11. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 2,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.66, for a total value of $296,082.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 304,508 shares in the company, valued at $33,392,347.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 92,388 shares of company stock valued at $10,205,064. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Quent Capital LLC lifted its stake in Natera by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 3,205 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $293,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Natera by 50.0% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 324 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its stake in Natera by 148.4% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 318 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in Natera by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 6,432 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $588,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in Natera during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Natera

Natera, Inc, a diagnostics company, develops and commercializes molecular testing services worldwide. Its products include Panorama, a non-invasive prenatal test that screens for chromosomal abnormalities of a fetus, as well as in twin pregnancies; Horizon carrier screening test for individuals and couples determine if they are carriers of genetic variations that cause certain genetic conditions; Vistara single-gene NIPT screens for 25 single-gene disorders that cause severe skeletal, cardiac, and neurological conditions; Spectrum, preimplantation genetic tests for couples undergoing IVF; Anora that analyzes miscarriage tissue from women; Empower, a hereditary cancer screening test; and non-invasive prenatal paternity product, which allows a couple to establish paternity without waiting for the child to be born.