Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

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

NTRA has been the topic of several other reports. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their target price on shares of Natera from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 price target on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on Natera from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $120.07.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA opened at $116.25 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $110.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $100.09. The company has a market cap of $14.28 billion, a PE ratio of -37.26 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a current ratio of 4.12, a quick ratio of 3.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Natera has a 12-month low of $36.90 and a 12-month high of $124.83.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.30) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.69) by $0.39. Natera had a negative net margin of 30.24% and a negative return on equity of 49.72%. The business had revenue of $413.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $343.00 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.97) earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 58.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Natera will post -2.43 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,866 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.65, for a total value of $185,946.90. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 71,955 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,170,315.75. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 37,500 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.10, for a total value of $4,053,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 213,351 shares in the company, valued at $23,063,243.10. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,866 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.65, for a total transaction of $185,946.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 71,955 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,170,315.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 92,388 shares of company stock worth $10,205,064 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Natera by 0.7% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,044,743 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,010,152,000 after purchasing an additional 72,848 shares during the period. Farallon Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Natera by 13.6% in the 2nd quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 4,460,557 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $483,034,000 after acquiring an additional 532,874 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in Natera by 6.6% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,397,582 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $259,634,000 after acquiring an additional 148,917 shares during the last quarter. Duquesne Family Office LLC boosted its holdings in Natera by 2.4% during the second quarter. Duquesne Family Office LLC now owns 1,974,880 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $213,860,000 after acquiring an additional 45,500 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Natera by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,703,615 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $106,714,000 after purchasing an additional 112,825 shares during the last quarter. 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.