Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.25 EPS

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The medical research company reported ($0.64) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.39) by ($0.25), Zacks reports. The company had revenue of $592.18 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $514.55 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.61% and a negative return on equity of 25.20%. Natera’s revenue for the quarter was up 34.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.26) EPS. Natera updated its FY 2025 guidance to EPS.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of Natera stock traded up $1.09 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $199.57. 2,707,168 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,247,989. Natera has a 12-month low of $125.38 and a 12-month high of $203.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -87.15 and a beta of 1.75. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $177.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $163.81.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other Natera news, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 2,750 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.99, for a total value of $459,222.50. Following the sale, the director owned 6,015 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,004,444.85. The trade was a 31.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 2,491 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total transaction of $403,666.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 69,189 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,212,077.45. The trade was a 3.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 224,889 shares of company stock valued at $43,232,062 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 5.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Orbimed Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Natera by 8.5% in the second quarter. Orbimed Advisors LLC now owns 593,434 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $100,255,000 after purchasing an additional 46,434 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its stake in shares of Natera by 32.1% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 197,547 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $33,374,000 after buying an additional 48,004 shares during the period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Natera by 131.7% in the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 147,564 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $24,929,000 after buying an additional 83,882 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of Natera by 7.6% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 138,677 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $23,428,000 after buying an additional 9,786 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Natera by 100.0% during the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 120,246 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $20,314,000 after acquiring an additional 60,124 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Zacks Research lowered Natera from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. BTIG Research increased their price target on Natera from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $195.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research note on Sunday, August 10th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Natera to a “hold” rating and set a $172.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of Natera from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $172.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, October 27th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $206.74.

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.