Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Downgraded to Strong Sell Rating by Zacks Research

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report released on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research analysts have also commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Natera in a research report on Friday, June 26th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $310.00 price target for the company. UBS Group set a $260.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Natera from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $249.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $267.83.

Natera Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of Natera stock opened at $277.37 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $39.72 billion, a PE ratio of -170.17 and a beta of 1.51. Natera has a 52 week low of $131.81 and a 52 week high of $288.04. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $231.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $219.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Natera news, Director Herm Rosenman sold 16,530 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $4,132,500.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,062,500. This trade represents a 79.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Roelof Botha sold 78,000 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.31, for a total value of $17,184,180.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 1,076,198 shares in the company, valued at approximately $237,097,181.38. This trade represents a 6.76% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 178,872 shares of company stock worth $39,627,696. 5.05% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NTRA. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Natera during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Palladiem LLC acquired a new position in Natera during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Horizon Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Natera during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Natera by 132.9% during the 1st quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 170 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Natera Company Profile

Natera is a global diagnostics company that develops and commercializes cell-free DNA and other genetic testing technologies for clinical applications. The company focuses on three principal areas: reproductive health (including non-invasive prenatal testing and carrier screening), oncology (tumor-informed assays for minimal residual disease and recurrence monitoring), and organ transplantation (cell-free DNA tests to detect allograft injury). Natera combines laboratory testing, proprietary bioinformatics, and clinical reporting to deliver personalized genetic information to clinicians and patients.

Key product offerings include Panorama, a non-invasive prenatal test that screens for fetal chromosomal abnormalities and select single-gene conditions; Horizon carrier screening for inherited conditions; Signatera, a personalized, tumor-informed assay used for detecting minimal residual disease and monitoring treatment response in cancer patients; and Prospera, a donor-derived cell-free DNA test used to assess the risk of organ rejection.