Short Interest in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Grows By 33.7%

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,850,000 shares, a growth of 33.7% from the February 28th total of 2,880,000 shares. Approximately 3.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,660,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NTRA stock traded down $2.53 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $141.41. 2,304,331 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,368,319. Natera has a fifty-two week low of $83.13 and a fifty-two week high of $183.00. The company has a quick ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.12 billion, a P/E ratio of -80.35 and a beta of 1.80. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $159.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $151.13.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.01. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The firm had revenue of $476.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $447.91 million. Analysts predict that Natera will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on NTRA shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, February 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $178.12.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total value of $12,958,888.41. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 267,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,150,756.13. This trade represents a 22.69 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.69, for a total transaction of $590,760.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 9,704 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,433,183.76. This represents a 29.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 306,797 shares of company stock valued at $48,940,883 in the last quarter. Insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Natera by 104.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Natera by 345.8% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Natera by 372.9% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 261 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 20.7% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

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.