Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Director Roy Baynes Sells 5,112 Shares

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Director Roy Baynes sold 5,112 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.00, for a total value of $1,099,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 18,359 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,947,185. This represents a 21.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Natera Stock Up 2.3%

NTRA stock traded up $5.08 during trading on Friday, reaching $230.63. 2,870,319 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,609,609. Natera, Inc. has a 1-year low of $125.38 and a 1-year high of $235.89. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $186.27 and its 200-day moving average price is $167.81. The firm has a market cap of $31.83 billion, a PE ratio of -100.71 and a beta of 1.75.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The medical research company reported ($0.64) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.39) by ($0.25). Natera had a negative net margin of 14.61% and a negative return on equity of 25.07%. The business had revenue of $592.18 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $514.55 million. During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.26) earnings per share. Natera’s revenue for the quarter was up 34.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on NTRA. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $218.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of Natera from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $172.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on Natera from $200.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Natera from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Natera from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $220.29.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the 3rd quarter worth $749,000. Ariadne Wealth Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 8.5% during the third quarter. Ariadne Wealth Management LP now owns 1,490 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its position in shares of Natera by 11.1% in the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 2,617 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $421,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares during the period. Caerus Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Natera in the 3rd quarter worth about $375,000. Finally, Faithward Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Natera in the 3rd quarter worth about $3,516,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

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.