Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Cut to Sell at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note published on Thursday.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on NTRA. TD Cowen increased their price target on Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Natera from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. BTIG Research increased their price target on Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Natera from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Natera from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $137.65.

Natera Trading Down 3.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA opened at $146.06 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $127.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $115.61. Natera has a 52-week low of $52.01 and a 52-week high of $167.79. 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 (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $439.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $361.43 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.95) earnings per share. Natera’s revenue for the quarter was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Natera will post -1.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 4,728 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.41, for a total transaction of $692,226.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 185,034 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,090,827.94. This trade represents a 2.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 2,614 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.68, for a total value of $333,755.52. Following the sale, the director now directly 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. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 36,821 shares of company stock valued at $4,776,878. 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. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Quarry LP boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 148.4% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 318 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 50.0% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 324 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 34.3% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the 3rd quarter worth $57,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.