Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) was the target of a significant drop in short interest during the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totaling 3,860,000 shares, a drop of 29.2% from the September 30th total of 5,450,000 shares. Currently, 3.0% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,250,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.1 days. Based on an average daily volume of 1,250,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.1 days. Currently, 3.0% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Insider Activity

In other Natera news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.60, for a total value of $595,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 112,061 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,255,314.60. This trade represents a 2.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider John Fesko sold 928 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.46, for a total transaction of $177,674.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 150,699 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,852,830.54. The trade was a 0.61% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 224,889 shares of company stock worth $43,232,062 in the last ninety days. 5.63% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S increased its holdings in Natera by 79.8% during the third quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 4,139 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $666,000 after buying an additional 1,837 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Natera by 10.0% during the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 189,276 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $30,468,000 after buying an additional 17,254 shares during the period. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC purchased a new position in Natera during the third quarter valued at approximately $688,000. WCM Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Natera by 3.4% during the third quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 6,686 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,090,000 after buying an additional 221 shares during the period. Finally, AXS Investments LLC purchased a new position in Natera during the third quarter valued at approximately $69,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on NTRA shares. Evercore ISI raised shares of Natera to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $170.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Natera from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of Natera from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $172.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised shares of Natera to a “hold” rating and set a $172.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $194.89.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $196.45 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $26.96 billion, a PE ratio of -102.85 and a beta of 1.75. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $175.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $162.77. Natera has a one year low of $122.08 and a one year high of $203.23.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The medical research company reported ($0.74) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.60) by ($0.14). The business had revenue of $546.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $476.84 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 12.89% and a negative return on equity of 22.22%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 32.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.30) earnings per share. Natera has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Natera will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Natera Company Profile

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.