Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Natera's stock rating has been downgraded by Zacks Research from "hold" to "strong sell," suggesting a bearish outlook on the company.
• The stock is currently trading at around $186.04, with a market capitalization of $25.53 billion and a challenging price-to-earnings ratio of -97.40.
• Despite the downgrade, consensus ratings remain mixed, with one Strong Buy, sixteen Buy, one Hold, and two Sell ratings among analysts.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on NTRA. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $268.00 target price on shares of Natera and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $183.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $210.00 price objective (up previously from $190.00) on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, August 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $196.81.

Natera Stock Down 0.4%

NTRA opened at $186.04 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -97.40 and a beta of 1.74. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $169.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $159.17. Natera has a twelve month low of $117.27 and a twelve month high of $196.63.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical research company reported ($0.74) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.60) by ($0.14). The company had revenue of $546.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $476.84 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 22.22% and a negative net margin of 12.89%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 32.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.30) EPS. Natera has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Natera will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 14,083 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $2,253,280.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 154,072 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,651,520. The trade was a 8.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.89, for a total value of $398,670.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 123,059 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,353,310.51. This represents a 2.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 68,195 shares of company stock valued at $10,367,245. Insiders own 5.63% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in Natera during the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. TCTC Holdings LLC increased its position in Natera by 114.8% during the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 232 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in shares of Natera by 83.5% in the first quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 233 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. Hilltop National Bank purchased a new position in shares of Natera during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group bought a new position in Natera during the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Natera Company Profile

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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