Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Downgraded by StockNews.com

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Monday, June 3rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $142.00 price objective on the stock. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, August 9th. UBS Group dropped their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on Natera from $120.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Natera from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Natera presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $120.07.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $120.27 on Wednesday. Natera has a one year low of $36.90 and a one year high of $124.83. The stock has a market cap of $14.77 billion, a PE ratio of -38.55 and a beta of 1.48. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $110.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $99.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 3.98 and a current ratio of 4.12.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.30) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.69) by $0.39. The business had revenue of $413.35 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 revenue for the quarter was up 58.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.97) earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Natera will post -2.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Natera news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.01, for a total transaction of $1,452,120.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 287,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $34,783,235.41. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.01, for a total transaction of $1,452,120.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 287,441 shares in the company, valued at $34,783,235.41. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,583 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.91, for a total transaction of $663,874.53. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 200,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,866,426.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 94,388 shares of company stock worth $10,425,404. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in shares of Natera during the second quarter worth about $326,000. Quarry LP raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 148.4% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 318 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning boosted its position in shares of Natera by 28.3% during the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 4,929 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $534,000 after buying an additional 1,087 shares during the period. Algert Global LLC grew its holdings in Natera by 10.9% in the 2nd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 84,510 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $9,152,000 after buying an additional 8,274 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Driehaus Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Natera by 14.6% in the 2nd quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 1,220,768 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $132,197,000 after buying an additional 155,802 shares in the last quarter. 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.