Natera, Inc., a diagnostics company, develops and commercializes molecular testing services worldwide. It offers Panorama, a non-invasive prenatal test that screens for chromosomal abnormalities of a fetus with a blood draw from the mother, as well as twin pregnancies for zygosity; Vistara, a single-gene mutations screening test to identify single-gene disorder; Horizon carrier screening to determine carrier status for various genetic diseases; and Spectrum to identify chromosomal anomalies or inherited genetic conditions during an in vitro fertilization cycle. The company also provides Anora miscarriage test products to analyze fetal chromosomes to understand the cause of miscarriage; and non-invasive paternity testing products to determine paternity by gestation using a blood draw from the pregnant mother and alleged father. In addition, it offers Constellation, a cloud-based software product that enables laboratory customers to gain access through the cloud to the company's algorithms and bioinformatics in order to validate and launch tests; Signatera, a circulating tumor DNA technology that screen for a generic set of mutations independent of an individual's tumor; and Prospera used to assess organ transplant rejection. The company offers products through its direct sales force, as well as through a network of approximately 100 laboratory and distribution partners. It has a partnership agreement with BGI Genomics Co., Ltd. to develop, manufacture, and commercialize NGS-based genetic testing assays; and Foundation Medicine, Inc. to develop and commercialize personalized circulating tumor DNA monitoring assays. The company was formerly known as Gene Security Network, Inc. and changed its name to Natera, Inc. in 2012. Natera, Inc. was founded in 2003 and is based in Austin, Texas.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several research firms have recently weighed in on NTRA. Stephens began coverage on Natera in a research report on Monday, April 25th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $54.00 price objective for the company. Cowen dropped their price target on Natera from $110.00 to $100.00 in a research note on Friday, May 6th. Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Natera from $110.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Friday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on shares of Natera from $90.00 to $80.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 19th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Natera from $100.00 to $71.00 in a research note on Friday, May 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $92.73.
Natera Stock Down 4.6 %
NTRA Stock traded down $2.55 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $52.57. 931,981 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,892,469. The company has a quick ratio of 3.46, a current ratio of 3.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $42.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $44.92. The stock has a market cap of $5.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.67 and a beta of 1.33. Natera has a fifty-two week low of $26.10 and a fifty-two week high of $129.09.
Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 4th. The medical research company reported ($1.50) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.47) by ($0.03). Natera had a negative net margin of 79.57% and a negative return on equity of 95.97%. The company had revenue of $198.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $193.67 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($1.32) EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 39.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Natera will post -5.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Insider Buying and Selling at Natera
In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 1,652 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.76, for a total value of $59,075.52. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 64,777 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,316,425.52. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Natera news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 920 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.01, for a total transaction of $35,889.20. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 82,957 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,236,152.57. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 1,652 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.76, for a total transaction of $59,075.52. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 64,777 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,316,425.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 13,966 shares of company stock worth $550,755. Corporate insiders own 10.27% of the company's stock.
