Short Interest in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Drops By 15.5%

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 3,395,341 shares, a decrease of 15.5% from the November 30th total of 4,019,572 shares. Approximately 2.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,212,569 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.8 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,212,569 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.8 days. Approximately 2.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Natera Stock Performance

NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $229.09 on Friday. Natera has a one year low of $125.38 and a one year high of $246.90. The stock has a market cap of $31.69 billion, a PE ratio of -100.04 and a beta of 1.63. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $221.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $183.15.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The medical research company reported ($0.64) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $592.18 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $514.55 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($0.26) earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 34.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Natera will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 4,692 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.76, for a total value of $1,082,725.92. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 113,065 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,090,879.40. The trade was a 3.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 160,703 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.96, for a total transaction of $32,134,171.88. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 144,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $28,957,407.36. This represents a 52.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 336,481 shares of company stock worth $72,008,879. Insiders own 5.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. Hilltop National Bank acquired a new position in Natera in the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. Horizon Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Natera during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group acquired a new position in Natera in the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its position in Natera by 95.7% in the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 225 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the period. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in Natera by 83.5% in the first quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 233 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Natera from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded Natera from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $172.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Stephens lifted their price target on Natera from $197.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Natera from $190.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price objective on Natera from $250.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Natera presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $231.18.

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.