Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) was the target of a significant drop in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,490,000 shares, a drop of 44.2% from the January 31st total of 4,460,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,280,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.9 days.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other news, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.77, for a total transaction of $117,861.51. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 156,044 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,739,941.88. This trade represents a 0.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 946 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.98, for a total transaction of $162,693.08. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 109,474 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,827,338.52. This represents a 0.86 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 295,772 shares of company stock worth $49,741,699. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Principal Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Natera by 20.7% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the period. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 3,629 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $574,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated raised its stake in shares of Natera by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 2,963 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $470,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its stake in shares of Natera by 34.3% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 1,325 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $210,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NTRA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com downgraded Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $172.69.

Natera Trading Down 0.7 %

Natera stock opened at $155.59 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a current ratio of 4.39. The stock has a market cap of $20.54 billion, a PE ratio of -88.40 and a beta of 1.66. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $167.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $146.95. Natera has a one year low of $83.13 and a one year high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $476.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $447.91 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Natera will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.