Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock Price Down 3.1% Following Insider Selling

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) traded down 3.1% during mid-day trading on Friday following insider selling activity. The company traded as low as $163.48 and last traded at $164.17. 146,118 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 89% from the average session volume of 1,341,569 shares. The stock had previously closed at $169.36.

Specifically, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 9,682 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.98, for a total transaction of $1,548,926.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 9,704 shares in the company, valued at $1,552,445.92. This trade represents a 49.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. BTIG Research raised their price target on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Craig Hallum raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $121.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Natera has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.59.

Natera Stock Down 1.2 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $22.08 billion, a P/E ratio of -93.19 and a beta of 1.53. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $130.72 and its 200 day moving average is $117.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a current ratio of 4.39.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.57) by $0.31. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The firm had revenue of $439.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $361.43 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.95) EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 63.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NTRA. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the 1st quarter worth about $220,000. Natixis acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the 1st quarter worth about $758,000. Hood River Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the 1st quarter worth about $2,821,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in Natera by 22.2% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 669,961 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $61,276,000 after buying an additional 121,809 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bamco Inc. NY grew its stake in Natera by 73.7% in the 1st quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 41,000 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $3,750,000 after buying an additional 17,400 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.