Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock Sees Unusually High Put Option Buying

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) was the target of some unusual options trading on Friday. Traders acquired 4,501 put options on the company. This represents an increase of 255% compared to the typical volume of 1,268 put options.

Natera Stock Up 0.6%

NTRA traded up $2.61 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $411.40. The company had a trading volume of 582,887 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,367,254. The business has a 50-day moving average of $314.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $252.34. Natera has a 1 year low of $157.43 and a 1 year high of $415.75. The company has a market cap of $59.30 billion, a P/E ratio of -302.47 and a beta of 1.54.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The medical research company reported ($0.47) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.49) by $0.02. Natera had a negative return on equity of 11.38% and a negative net margin of 7.11%.The company had revenue of $752.75 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $661.24 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.74) EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 37.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Natera will post -1.02 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on NTRA. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Natera in a research note on Friday, June 26th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $310.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Natera from $315.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Stephens upped their target price on shares of Natera from $305.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Natera from $290.00 to $435.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $220.00 to $284.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Natera presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $336.07.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other Natera news, CFO Michael Brophy sold 2,419 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.96, for a total transaction of $614,329.24. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 54,295 shares in the company, valued at $13,788,758.20. This represents a 4.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider John Fesko sold 6,517 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $321.53, for a total value of $2,095,411.01. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 197,257 shares in the company, valued at $63,424,043.21. This trade represents a 3.20% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold 51,712 shares of company stock valued at $15,169,033 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Natera

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new stake in Natera in the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera in the second quarter worth about $30,000. Continuum Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Natera during the second quarter worth about $33,000. Reflection Asset Management bought a new stake in Natera during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Natera during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Natera Company Profile

Natera, Inc is a diagnostics company that develops and commercializes molecular testing services based on cell-free DNA and other genomic technologies. The company focuses on reproductive health, oncology and organ health, providing tests intended to support screening, diagnosis, treatment planning and disease monitoring.

Its reproductive health portfolio includes Panorama, a noninvasive prenatal test that screens for certain chromosomal conditions, and Horizon, a carrier screening test.