Short Interest in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Rises By 39.8%

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) saw a large growth in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 4,747,257 shares, a growth of 39.8% from the December 15th total of 3,395,341 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,024,896 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.6 days. Currently, 3.6% of the shares of the company are sold short. Currently, 3.6% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,024,896 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.6 days.

Natera Stock Down 3.8%

NASDAQ:NTRA traded down $9.09 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $231.25. 1,470,397 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 989,935. The company has a market capitalization of $31.99 billion, a P/E ratio of -100.98 and a beta of 1.62. The company’s 50 day moving average is $230.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $188.47. Natera has a twelve month low of $125.38 and a twelve month high of $256.36.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on NTRA shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Natera from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Natera from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. BNP Paribas upgraded Natera to a “hold” rating and set a $172.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, BTIG Research lifted their price objective on Natera from $230.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $241.18.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 3,848 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $229.08, for a total value of $881,499.84. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 136,568 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,284,997.44. The trade was a 2.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Roelof Botha sold 75,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.12, for a total transaction of $17,709,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,154,198 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $272,529,231.76. This represents a 6.10% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 343,280 shares of company stock valued at $73,566,011 in the last quarter. 5.63% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NTRA. Horizon Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Hilltop National Bank bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its position in shares of Natera by 95.7% in 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, Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera during the third quarter worth $46,000. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

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.