StockNews.com Lowers Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) to Sell

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report issued on Tuesday.

NTRA has been the subject of a number of other reports. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $78.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price target on shares of Natera from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Natera from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Raymond James lowered shares of Natera from a "strong-buy" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price target for the company from $68.00 to $85.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Craig Hallum assumed coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Monday, April 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $117.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $86.40.

Natera Price Performance

Natera stock traded up $2.43 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $91.04. 1,178,233 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,470,075. Natera has a one year low of $36.90 and a one year high of $98.82. The stock has a market cap of $10.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -24.02 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 3.96 and a current ratio of 4.10. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $86.40 and a 200-day moving average price of $66.49.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The medical research company reported ($0.64) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $311.11 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $300.38 million. On average, equities analysts predict that Natera will post -2.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 14,813 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.09, for a total transaction of $964,178.17. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 246,957 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,074,431.13. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 14,813 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.09, for a total value of $964,178.17. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 246,957 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,074,431.13. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 80,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.82, for a total transaction of $7,265,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 117,560 shares in the company, valued at $10,676,799.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 448,782 shares of company stock valued at $36,150,651. 9.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Natera

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NTRA. RiverPark Advisors LLC bought a new position in Natera in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new position in Natera in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in Natera in the 3rd quarter worth about $44,000. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group boosted its stake in Natera by 109.3% in the 4th quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group now owns 745 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 389 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI boosted its stake in Natera by 47.8% in the 1st quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI now owns 538 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is 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.

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