StockNews.com Downgrades Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) to Sell

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

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Barclays initiated coverage on Natera in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Natera from $132.00 to $176.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Natera currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $172.69.

Natera Stock Down 8.0 %

Shares of Natera stock traded down $12.48 during trading on Monday, reaching $143.11. The stock had a trading volume of 2,862,669 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,314,816. The company has a current ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The company has a market capitalization of $18.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -81.31 and a beta of 1.66. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $167.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $147.35. Natera has a 52 week low of $83.13 and a 52 week high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its earnings results 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. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The firm had revenue of $476.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $447.91 million. Sell-side analysts predict that Natera will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Natera news, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was 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. This represents a 0.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 267,629 shares in the company, valued at $44,150,756.13. The trade was a 22.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 208,299 shares of company stock valued at $34,948,265 over the last ninety days. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Natera by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,316,470 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,949,697,000 after purchasing an additional 879,463 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position 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 buying an additional 3,871,862 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 43.7% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,701,425 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,060,836,000 after buying an additional 2,036,396 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Natera by 15.7% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,240,041 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $512,898,000 after buying an additional 439,778 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in Natera by 3.6% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,482,818 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $315,194,000 after buying an additional 85,236 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.