Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume After Analyst Upgrade

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) shares saw unusually-strong trading volume on Tuesday after Piper Sandler raised their price target on the stock from $200.00 to $205.00. Piper Sandler currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Approximately 1,352,014 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 3% from the previous session’s volume of 1,315,422 shares.The stock last traded at $134.50 and had previously closed at $143.11.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. Craig Hallum upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $121.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Guggenheim raised their target price on Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Natera currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $173.00.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other Natera news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 4,858 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.59, for a total value of $809,294.22. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 114,912 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,143,190.08. This trade represents a 4.06 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total value of $12,958,888.41. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 267,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,150,756.13. The trade was a 22.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 208,299 shares of company stock valued at $34,948,265. 7.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Creative Planning grew its holdings in Natera by 18.3% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 5,833 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $740,000 after purchasing an additional 904 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Natera by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 2,721 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $346,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Natera by 9,755.3% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 14,980 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,902,000 after acquiring an additional 14,828 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Natera by 17.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 10,858 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,378,000 after acquiring an additional 1,640 shares during the period. Finally, Stephens Inc. AR purchased a new stake in Natera during the third quarter valued at about $258,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Price Performance

The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $167.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $147.50. The company has a quick ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market cap of $18.95 billion, a P/E ratio of -82.18 and a beta of 1.66.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.42) by $0.01. The company had revenue of $476.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $447.91 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. Sell-side analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

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.