Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Director Sells $17,709,000.00 in Stock

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Director Roelof Botha sold 75,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.12, for a total value of $17,709,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 1,154,198 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $272,529,231.76. The trade was a 6.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Natera Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NTRA traded up $0.63 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $237.12. 1,318,559 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,451,675. Natera, Inc. has a 12 month low of $125.38 and a 12 month high of $241.28. The company has a market capitalization of $32.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -103.55 and a beta of 1.75. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $188.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $169.09.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The medical research company reported ($0.64) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.39) by ($0.25). Natera had a negative return on equity of 25.07% and a negative net margin of 14.61%.The firm had revenue of $592.18 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $514.55 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.26) EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 34.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Natera

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in shares of Natera during the 1st quarter worth $29,000. Horizon Investments LLC bought a new stake in Natera during the third quarter valued at about $32,000. TCTC Holdings LLC grew its holdings in Natera by 114.8% during the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 232 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased 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 buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank bought a new position in shares of Natera in the second quarter worth about $33,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. BTIG Research lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Natera from $195.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Stephens raised their price objective on Natera from $197.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Barclays increased their target price on Natera from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $220.88.

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.