Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Short Interest Update

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

Natera Price Performance

NASDAQ NTRA traded down $12.48 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $143.11. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,862,669 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,314,735. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $167.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $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. Natera has a 1 year low of $83.13 and a 1 year high of $183.00. The company has a market capitalization of $18.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -81.31 and a beta of 1.66.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 4,858 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.59, for a total value of $809,294.22. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 114,912 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,143,190.08. This trade represents a 4.06 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.77, for a total value of $117,861.51. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 156,044 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,739,941.88. The trade was a 0.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 208,299 shares of company stock worth $34,948,265 over the last three months. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new position in Natera in the 4th quarter worth approximately $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 boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position 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 valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on NTRA shares. Barclays started coverage on Natera in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. StockNews.com downgraded Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday. Guggenheim boosted their price target on Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.