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

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in 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. Based on an average daily volume of 1,660,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days. Currently, 3.2% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In related news, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.69, for a total transaction of $590,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 9,704 shares in the company, valued at $1,433,183.76. This represents a 29.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.77, for a total value of $117,861.51. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 156,044 shares in the company, valued at $27,739,941.88. This trade represents a 0.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 318,922 shares of company stock valued at $50,619,104. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Natera

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. 111 Capital purchased a new position in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $397,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Natera by 79.5% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 19,493 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $3,086,000 after purchasing an additional 8,635 shares during the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in Natera in the 4th quarter valued at about $19,210,000. HWG Holdings LP boosted its holdings in Natera by 173.0% in the 4th quarter. HWG Holdings LP now owns 40,739 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $6,449,000 after buying an additional 25,819 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. increased its stake in Natera by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. now owns 96,105 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $15,213,000 after buying an additional 1,500 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. StockNews.com upgraded Natera from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Thursday, March 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $251.00 price objective on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $178.12.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NTRA stock traded up $2.80 on Wednesday, hitting $143.45. The company had a trading volume of 736,318 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,368,047. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $158.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $151.35. 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 firm has a market cap of $19.39 billion, a P/E ratio of -81.51 and a beta of 1.80. Natera has a twelve month low of $83.13 and a twelve month high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $447.91 million. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Natera will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.