Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA – Get Rating) gapped up prior to trading on Friday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $34.10, but opened at $35.89. Natera shares last traded at $33.43, with a volume of 14,136 shares. The medical research company reported ($1.45) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.50) by $0.05. Natera had a negative return on equity of 90.55% and a negative net margin of 75.43%. The company had revenue of $194.13 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $176.61 million. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.74) earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 27.5% compared to the same quarter last year.
Several research firms have weighed in on NTRA. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Natera from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $39.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday. BTIG Research cut their target price on Natera from $125.00 to $100.00 in a report on Thursday, March 10th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Natera from $100.00 to $71.00 in a report on Friday. Stephens initiated coverage on Natera in a research note on Monday, April 25th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $54.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Natera from $90.00 to $80.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $100.54.
In other Natera news, Director Roelof Botha bought 153,000 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 16th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $32.72 per share, with a total value of $5,006,160.00. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Daniel Rabinowitz sold 884 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.16, for a total value of $37,269.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 16,332 shares of company stock worth $659,678 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 10.86% of the company’s stock.
Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Selective Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. CENTRAL TRUST Co raised its position in shares of Natera by 200.0% during the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 300 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its position in shares of Natera by 1,041.0% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 696 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 635 shares during the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Natera by 148.6% during the 3rd quarter. Evolution Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 261 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors own 96.24% of the company’s stock.
The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $41.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $71.95. The company has a market cap of $3.36 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.60 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 4.87 and a current ratio of 4.99.
Natera Company Profile (NASDAQ:NTRA)
Natera, Inc, a diagnostics company, develops and commercializes molecular testing services worldwide. It offers Panorama, a non-invasive prenatal test that screens for chromosomal abnormalities of a fetus with a blood draw from the mother, as well as twin pregnancies for zygosity; Vistara, a single-gene mutations screening test to identify single-gene disorder; Horizon carrier screening to determine carrier status for various genetic diseases; and Spectrum to identify chromosomal anomalies or inherited genetic conditions during an in vitro fertilization cycle.