Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Sees Significant Decline in Short Interest

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) saw a significant decrease in short interest in the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,490,000 shares, a decrease of 44.2% from the January 31st total of 4,460,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,280,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.9 days.

Natera Stock Down 8.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA opened at $143.11 on Tuesday. Natera has a 52 week low of $83.13 and a 52 week high of $183.00. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $167.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $147.35. 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 company has a market cap of $18.89 billion, a P/E ratio of -81.31 and a beta of 1.66.

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

Insider Activity

In other Natera news, insider John Fesko sold 669 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.60, for a total transaction of $106,772.40. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 114,142 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,217,063.20. This represents a 0.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 4,858 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.59, for a total value of $809,294.22. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 114,912 shares in the company, valued at $19,143,190.08. The trade was a 4.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 208,299 shares of company stock valued at $34,948,265 over the last quarter. 7.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Natera

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Natera by 104.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 345.8% during 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 in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 34.3% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 372.9% during 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. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com cut Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Natera from $150.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Barclays initiated coverage on Natera in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 target price on the stock. TD Cowen increased their target price on Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Craig Hallum increased their price target on Natera from $121.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Natera has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $172.69.

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.