Short Interest in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Increases By 33.7%

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,850,000 shares, a growth of 33.7% from the February 28th total of 2,880,000 shares. Currently, 3.2% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,660,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.3 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on NTRA. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of Natera from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $178.12.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total value of $12,958,888.41. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 267,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,150,756.13. This trade represents a 22.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of the company’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 value of $117,861.51. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 156,044 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,739,941.88. The trade was a 0.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 306,797 shares of company stock worth $48,940,883. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Natera

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Natera by 104.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in Natera by 345.8% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Natera by 372.9% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Natera by 20.7% during 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 last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Natera Stock Down 0.5 %

NASDAQ:NTRA traded down $0.76 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $140.65. 1,583,711 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,370,306. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.01 billion, a P/E ratio of -79.91 and a beta of 1.80. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $158.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $151.35. Natera has a 1 year low of $83.13 and a 1 year high of $183.00. The company has a current ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.01. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The business had revenue of $476.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $447.91 million. Analysts predict that Natera will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

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.