Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Shares Down 9.5% After Earnings Miss

Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) fell 9.5% during mid-day trading on Friday following a dissappointing earnings announcement. The company traded as low as $198.50 and last traded at $198.8540. 1,012,560 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 19% from the average session volume of 1,244,272 shares. The stock had previously closed at $219.82.

The medical research company reported ($0.60) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.53) by ($0.07). Natera had a negative return on equity of 15.28% and a negative net margin of 9.03%.The company had revenue of $696.64 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $617.10 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.50) earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 38.8% on a year-over-year basis.

More Natera News

Here are the key news stories impacting Natera this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Revenue beat and strong growth — Natera reported Q1 revenue of $696.6M, up 38.8% year‑over‑year, and improved gross margin (64.7%), showing solid demand expansion. Natera Reports First Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price-target lift — Wells Fargo raised its price target to $220 (from $215) while keeping an Equal Weight rating, implying modest upside relative to the current share level. Wells Fargo Price Target Note
• Neutral Sentiment: FY‑2026 revenue guidance in line with expectations — Management provided a revenue range around $2.7B–$2.8B (roughly matching consensus), which reduces surprise risk on the top line but left EPS clarity limited. FY2026 Guidance (slide deck / press release)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/press coverage on metrics — Zacks and others dissected Q1 results and key operating metrics; useful for assessing cadence and margin trends but not a direct catalyst. Zacks: Q1 key metrics
• Negative Sentiment: EPS missed estimates — Reported EPS missed consensus (company reported roughly a ($0.60) loss vs. a ~($0.53) expectation), which raises near‑term profitability concerns despite top-line strength. MarketBeat: Q1 earnings summary
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — CEO sold about $186k of stock and another executive sale of 3,405 shares was reported; insider sales can be viewed negatively by investors even if common for diversification. CEO Sells $185,956.32 in Stock Solomon Moshkevich Sells 3,405 Shares

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on NTRA. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Natera from $265.00 to $250.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Natera from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. William Blair assumed coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $270.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $255.67.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 482 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.49, for a total value of $101,456.18. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 57,496 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,102,333.04. The trade was a 0.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 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, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 902 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.16, for a total value of $185,956.32. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 149,867 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,896,580.72. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 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 a total of 38,266 shares of company stock valued at $7,747,808 over the last ninety days. 5.63% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Natera

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Horizon Investments LLC lifted its position in Natera by 22.0% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 244 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its stake in shares of Natera by 20.0% in the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 270 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Savvy Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. now owns 1,541 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $353,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Natera by 5.5% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 905 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $181,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. Finally, First Horizon Corp grew its holdings in Natera by 5.5% in the 1st quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 982 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $196,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Natera Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $28.12 billion, a P/E ratio of -129.48 and a beta of 1.57. The business has a fifty day moving average of $202.23 and a 200-day moving average of $215.02.

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.