Rowan E. Chapman Sells 1,767 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 1,767 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.24, for a total transaction of $300,814.08. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 6,202 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,055,828.48. The trade was a 22.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA traded up $0.67 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $167.12. 735,357 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,332,419. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.06 billion, a PE ratio of -94.95 and a beta of 1.63. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $56.00 and a 52 week high of $175.63. 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 company’s 50 day moving average is $142.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $123.76.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.57) by $0.31. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The business had revenue of $439.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $361.43 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($0.95) earnings per share. Natera’s revenue was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on Natera from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. StockNews.com cut Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $135.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Leerink Partners lifted their target price on shares of Natera from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.59.

Institutional Trading of Natera

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Natera by 42.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,099,335 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $144,958,000 after purchasing an additional 328,375 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the 3rd quarter worth $385,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Natera by 113.1% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 7,486 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $950,000 after buying an additional 3,973 shares during the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Natera in the third quarter valued at about $305,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Natera by 7.4% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,090,480 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $265,747,000 after acquiring an additional 143,825 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.