Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 4,747,257 shares, an increase of 39.8% from the December 15th total of 3,395,341 shares. Currently, 3.6% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,024,896 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.6 days. Based on an average trading volume of 1,024,896 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.6 days. Currently, 3.6% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Natera Stock Down 3.8%

Natera stock traded down $9.09 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $231.25. 1,470,397 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 989,935. The company has a market capitalization of $31.99 billion, a PE ratio of -100.98 and a beta of 1.62. The business has a fifty day moving average of $230.87 and a 200 day moving average of $188.86. Natera has a 1-year low of $125.38 and a 1-year high of $256.36.

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 the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $514.55 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.26) EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 34.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Natera will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays boosted their price target on Natera from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded Natera from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $172.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Stephens lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $197.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Natera from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $241.18.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Roelof Botha sold 75,000 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.12, for a total value of $17,709,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,154,198 shares in the company, valued at $272,529,231.76. This trade represents a 6.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Herm Rosenman sold 48,419 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.42, for a total transaction of $11,011,448.98. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 20,342 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,626,177.64. This represents a 70.42% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 343,280 shares of company stock worth $73,566,011 in the last three months. 5.63% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Natera by 44.3% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,625,785 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,795,125,000 after buying an additional 3,263,822 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Natera during the 2nd quarter worth $277,749,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Natera by 37.5% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,665,013 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $428,987,000 after purchasing an additional 727,366 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Natera by 39.0% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,400,065 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $386,338,000 after purchasing an additional 673,315 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in Natera by 215.7% in the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 527,942 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $84,983,000 after buying an additional 360,733 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Natera Company Profile

Natera is a global diagnostics company that develops and commercializes cell-free DNA and other genetic testing technologies for clinical applications. The company focuses on three principal areas: reproductive health (including non-invasive prenatal testing and carrier screening), oncology (tumor-informed assays for minimal residual disease and recurrence monitoring), and organ transplantation (cell-free DNA tests to detect allograft injury). Natera combines laboratory testing, proprietary bioinformatics, and clinical reporting to deliver personalized genetic information to clinicians and patients.

Key product offerings include Panorama, a non-invasive prenatal test that screens for fetal chromosomal abnormalities and select single-gene conditions; Horizon carrier screening for inherited conditions; Signatera, a personalized, tumor-informed assay used for detecting minimal residual disease and monitoring treatment response in cancer patients; and Prospera, a donor-derived cell-free DNA test used to assess the risk of organ rejection.