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

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Monday.

NTRA has been the topic of a number of other research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 target price on the stock. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their target price on Natera from $150.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $173.56.

Natera Stock Performance

NASDAQ NTRA opened at $147.92 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $19.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -84.05 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a quick ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. Natera has a twelve month low of $83.13 and a twelve month high of $183.00. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $166.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $147.62.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other Natera news, insider John Fesko sold 669 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.60, for a total transaction of $106,772.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 114,142 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,217,063.20. The trade was a 0.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 43,502 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.88, for a total value of $7,694,633.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 70,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,492,857.52. This trade represents a 38.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 208,299 shares of company stock worth $34,948,265. 7.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 134.9% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,742,428 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,067,327,000 after purchasing an additional 3,871,862 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Natera by 43.7% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,701,425 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,060,836,000 after purchasing an additional 2,036,396 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Natera by 205.4% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,800,263 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $355,493,000 after buying an additional 1,883,481 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter worth approximately $224,040,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Natera in the 4th quarter worth approximately $146,419,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.