Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Lowered to Strong Sell Rating by Zacks Research

Zacks Research downgraded shares of Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research note published on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Natera from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $249.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday. William Blair began coverage on Natera in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on Natera from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $267.83.

Natera Stock Performance

NASDAQ NTRA opened at $277.37 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $231.43 and a 200-day moving average price of $219.80. Natera has a one year low of $131.81 and a one year high of $288.04. The company has a market capitalization of $39.72 billion, a P/E ratio of -170.17 and a beta of 1.51.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,405 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.69, for a total transaction of $693,564.45. Following the transaction, the insider owned 142,295 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,984,068.55. This trade represents a 2.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through 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, Director Roelof Botha sold 78,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.31, for a total transaction of $17,184,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 1,076,198 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $237,097,181.38. This trade represents a 6.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 178,872 shares of company stock worth $39,627,696. Insiders own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new position in Natera in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Natera in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Palladiem LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Horizon Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Natera during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Natera by 132.9% in the first quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 170 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.