Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Sees Strong Trading Volume

Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Thursday . Approximately 1,822,593 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 38% from the previous session’s volume of 1,321,940 shares.The stock last traded at $104.05 and had previously closed at $106.10.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NTRA has been the topic of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Natera from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Natera from $99.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 10th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on shares of Natera from $100.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 10th. StockNews.com raised shares of Natera from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Natera from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $120.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $101.19.

Natera Price Performance

The company’s fifty day moving average is $109.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $91.99. The company has a quick ratio of 3.98, a current ratio of 4.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -33.35 and a beta of 1.48.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The medical research company reported ($0.56) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.72) by $0.16. The business had revenue of $367.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $316.31 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 49.72% and a negative net margin of 30.24%. The firm’s revenue was up 52.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned ($1.23) EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -2.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 4,084 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.14, for a total transaction of $380,383.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 226,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,071,527.90. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, insider Daniel Rabinowitz sold 30,000 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.59, for a total transaction of $3,137,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 204,495 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,388,132.05. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 4,084 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.14, for a total value of $380,383.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 226,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,071,527.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 117,569 shares of company stock valued at $12,528,235 in the last 90 days. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Natera by 50.0% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 324 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Natera during the first quarter worth approximately $36,000. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Natera during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI boosted its stake in Natera by 47.8% in the 1st quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI now owns 538 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Finally, Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group grew its holdings in Natera by 109.3% in the 4th quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group now owns 745 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 389 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.