Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Short Interest Down 29.2% in October

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totaling 3,860,000 shares, a decrease of 29.2% from the September 30th total of 5,450,000 shares. Approximately 3.0% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,250,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.1 days. Based on an average daily volume of 1,250,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.1 days. Approximately 3.0% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Natera Stock Down 0.4%

NASDAQ:NTRA traded down $0.70 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $198.23. 1,636,729 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,129,900. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $175.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $162.43. Natera has a 52 week low of $121.01 and a 52 week high of $200.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.21 billion, a P/E ratio of -103.79 and a beta of 1.74.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical research company reported ($0.74) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.60) by ($0.14). Natera had a negative return on equity of 22.22% and a negative net margin of 12.89%.The firm had revenue of $546.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $476.84 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.30) EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 32.2% on a year-over-year basis. Natera has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Natera will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 160,703 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.96, for a total value of $32,134,171.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 144,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,957,407.36. This represents a 52.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 2,491 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total transaction of $403,666.55. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 69,189 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,212,077.45. The trade was a 3.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 221,767 shares of company stock worth $42,612,020. Company insiders own 5.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Natera

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Natera during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. TCTC Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of Natera by 114.8% during the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 232 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in shares of Natera by 83.5% during the 1st quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 233 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. Hilltop National Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Natera during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of Natera during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $210.00 price target (up previously from $190.00) on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $268.00 price target on shares of Natera and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. BNP Paribas raised shares of Natera to a “hold” rating and set a $172.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, BTIG Research increased their target price on Natera from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Natera has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $194.89.

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.