Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock Price Down 2.8% - Here's Why

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) shares dropped 2.8% during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $159.67 and last traded at $163.86. Approximately 214,963 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 1,147,069 shares. The stock had previously closed at $168.50.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NTRA has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Natera from $150.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Natera from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Guggenheim increased their target price on Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Natera has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $160.63.

Natera Trading Down 6.0 %

The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $164.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $134.28. The company has a current ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.91 billion, a PE ratio of -89.98 and a beta of 1.65.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.57) by $0.31. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The business had revenue of $439.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $361.43 million. During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.95) EPS. The company's revenue was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 1,196 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.21, for a total transaction of $141,379.16. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 110,695 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,085,255.95. This represents a 1.07 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 1,709 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.76, for a total value of $206,378.84. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 194,615 shares in the company, valued at $23,501,707.40. The trade was a 0.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 123,409 shares of company stock worth $20,045,631. Insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Natera by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 187,438 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $20,298,000 after purchasing an additional 2,148 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Natera by 35.6% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 264,801 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $28,680,000 after purchasing an additional 69,523 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its holdings in Natera by 8.2% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 216,500 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $23,445,000 after purchasing an additional 16,317 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV bought a new position in Natera in the 2nd quarter worth $767,000. Finally, Amalgamated Bank raised its holdings in Natera by 6.0% in the 2nd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 7,590 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $822,000 after purchasing an additional 428 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is owned by 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.