Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Cut to Sell at StockNews.com

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $78.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. Craig Hallum initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $117.00 price target on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Natera from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $120.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $70.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. 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, Natera presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.40.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of Natera stock traded down $0.11 on Thursday, hitting $95.55. 3,188,199 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,424,082. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 3.96 and a current ratio of 4.10. Natera has a 1 year low of $36.90 and a 1 year high of $98.82. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $92.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $70.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.54 billion, a PE ratio of -25.21 and a beta of 1.38.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Natera news, Director Herm Rosenman sold 93,901 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.37, for a total transaction of $6,513,912.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 61,685 shares in the company, valued at $4,279,088.45. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, insider Daniel Rabinowitz sold 20,526 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.01, for a total transaction of $1,827,019.26. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 204,218 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,177,444.18. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Herm Rosenman sold 93,901 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.37, for a total transaction of $6,513,912.37. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 61,685 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,279,088.45. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 380,750 shares of company stock valued at $31,864,820 in the last ninety days. 7.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of Natera by 28.6% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 720,160 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $45,111,000 after buying an additional 159,993 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 1,043.3% in the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 90,423 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $5,664,000 after purchasing an additional 82,514 shares in the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Natera by 101.2% in the 4th quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 145,996 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $9,058,000 after purchasing an additional 73,419 shares during the period. abrdn plc bought a new position in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,214,000. Finally, Aigen Investment Management LP bought a new position in shares of Natera during the third quarter valued at approximately $223,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Natera

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.