Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Short Interest Update

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 3,395,341 shares, a decline of 15.5% from the November 30th total of 4,019,572 shares. Currently, 2.6% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,212,569 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.8 days. Based on an average daily volume of 1,212,569 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.8 days. Currently, 2.6% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Natera Stock Down 0.6%

Natera stock opened at $229.98 on Wednesday. Natera has a 12 month low of $125.38 and a 12 month high of $246.90. The stock has a market cap of $31.81 billion, a P/E ratio of -100.43 and a beta of 1.63. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $219.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $182.50.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 7th. The medical research company reported ($0.64) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.39) by ($0.25). The firm had revenue of $592.18 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $514.55 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 25.07% and a negative net margin of 14.61%.Natera’s revenue was up 34.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($0.26) earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Natera will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on NTRA shares. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Natera from $190.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $268.00 target price on shares of Natera and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Natera from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. BTIG Research lifted their price target on Natera from $230.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Natera to a “hold” rating and set a $172.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $231.18.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other Natera news, Director Roelof Botha sold 75,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.12, for a total transaction of $17,709,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 1,154,198 shares in the company, valued at approximately $272,529,231.76. The trade was a 6.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 4,692 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.76, for a total transaction of $1,082,725.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 113,065 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,090,879.40. The trade was a 3.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 336,481 shares of company stock valued at $72,008,879 over the last 90 days. 5.63% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hilltop National Bank acquired a new position in Natera in the second quarter worth approximately $33,000. Horizon Investments LLC bought a new stake in Natera in the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its stake in shares of Natera by 95.7% during the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 225 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 83.5% during the 1st quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 233 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Natera Company Profile

Natera is a global diagnostics company that develops and commercializes cell-free DNA and other genetic testing technologies for clinical applications. The company focuses on three principal areas: reproductive health (including non-invasive prenatal testing and carrier screening), oncology (tumor-informed assays for minimal residual disease and recurrence monitoring), and organ transplantation (cell-free DNA tests to detect allograft injury). Natera combines laboratory testing, proprietary bioinformatics, and clinical reporting to deliver personalized genetic information to clinicians and patients.

Key product offerings include Panorama, a non-invasive prenatal test that screens for fetal chromosomal abnormalities and select single-gene conditions; Horizon carrier screening for inherited conditions; Signatera, a personalized, tumor-informed assay used for detecting minimal residual disease and monitoring treatment response in cancer patients; and Prospera, a donor-derived cell-free DNA test used to assess the risk of organ rejection.