Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Lowered to “Sell” Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning.

NTRA has been the topic of a number of other reports. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their target price on shares of Natera from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. BTIG Research increased their target price on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Leerink Partners upped their price target on Natera from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $150.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Natera from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $137.65.

Natera Stock Down 3.4 %

NTRA stock traded down $5.15 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $145.96. 1,882,575 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,337,069. The company has a market cap of $19.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -82.93 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 4.01 and a current ratio of 4.39. Natera has a 1-year low of $52.01 and a 1-year high of $167.79. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $126.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $115.09.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.57) by $0.31. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The company had revenue of $439.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $361.43 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.95) earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Natera will post -1.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,866 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.45, for a total value of $235,955.70. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 68,851 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,706,208.95. This trade represents a 2.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 2,614 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.68, for a total transaction of $333,755.52. Following the sale, the director now owns 7,969 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,017,481.92. This represents a 24.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 29,881 shares of company stock worth $3,733,983. 7.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Farallon Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Natera by 13.6% in the 2nd quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 4,460,557 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $483,034,000 after purchasing an additional 532,874 shares in the last quarter. First Light Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Natera by 295.9% during the first quarter. First Light Asset Management LLC now owns 656,708 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $60,063,000 after buying an additional 490,822 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Natera by 257.6% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 651,523 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $70,553,000 after buying an additional 469,327 shares in the last quarter. PointState Capital LP increased its position in Natera by 112.0% in the 3rd quarter. PointState Capital LP now owns 782,538 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $99,343,000 after acquiring an additional 413,468 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in Natera by 53.6% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 958,383 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $103,783,000 after acquiring an additional 334,630 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

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.