Insider Selling: Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Director Sells 4,000 Shares of Stock

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.69, for a total value of $590,760.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,704 shares in the company, valued at $1,433,183.76. This trade represents a 29.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $148.22 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $164.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $148.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.04 billion, a PE ratio of -84.22 and a beta of 1.80. 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, Inc. has a 52 week low of $83.13 and a 52 week high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted 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. 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 analyst estimates of $447.91 million. On average, research analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays began coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $178.12.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NTRA. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Natera by 104.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted 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 worth $34,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in Natera by 34.3% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Natera by 372.9% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.