Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Downgraded to “Sell” at StockNews.com

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

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $78.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Natera from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $120.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Craig Hallum started coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $117.00 target price on the stock. Raymond James cut shares of Natera from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $68.00 to $85.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.40.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $91.50 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $86.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $66.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -24.29 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 4.10 and a quick ratio of 3.96. Natera has a 1 year low of $36.90 and a 1 year high of $98.82.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 28th. The medical research company reported ($0.64) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.73) by $0.09. The business had revenue of $311.11 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $300.38 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 40.16% and a negative return on equity of 62.19%. As a group, research analysts predict that Natera will post -2.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,816 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.13, for a total value of $634,774.08. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 227,710 shares in the company, valued at $21,206,632.30. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,816 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.13, for a total value of $634,774.08. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 227,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,206,632.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 3,235 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Monday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.09, for a total transaction of $210,566.15. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 92,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,048,618.43. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 453,644 shares of company stock worth $36,594,940 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 9.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Natera by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,971,895 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $687,280,000 after purchasing an additional 588,147 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Natera by 0.9% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,556,792 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $334,388,000 after acquiring an additional 67,102 shares in the last quarter. Kynam Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of Natera by 3.6% during the third quarter. Kynam Capital Management LP now owns 3,003,668 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $132,912,000 after acquiring an additional 103,668 shares in the last quarter. RTW Investments LP increased its position in shares of Natera by 1.5% during the third quarter. RTW Investments LP now owns 2,651,783 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $117,341,000 after acquiring an additional 40,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Natera by 52.0% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,529,496 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $111,930,000 after acquiring an additional 865,404 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is 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.