Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Short Interest Up 39.8% in December

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) was the recipient of a significant 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. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,024,896 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.6 days. Currently, 3.6% of the company’s shares are sold short. Currently, 3.6% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,024,896 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.6 days.

Natera Price Performance

Natera stock traded down $9.09 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $231.25. The company had a trading volume of 1,470,397 shares, compared to its average volume of 989,935. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $230.87 and a 200 day moving average of $188.47. The firm has a market cap of $31.99 billion, a PE ratio of -100.98 and a beta of 1.62. Natera has a one year low of $125.38 and a one year high of $256.36.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Guggenheim increased their price target on Natera from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. BTIG Research increased their price objective on Natera from $230.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Natera from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Natera presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $241.18.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 4,692 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.76, for a total transaction of $1,082,725.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 113,065 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,090,879.40. The trade was a 3.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Roy D. Baynes sold 7,668 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.08, for a total transaction of $1,710,577.44. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 18,359 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,095,525.72. This trade represents a 29.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 343,280 shares of company stock worth $73,566,011. 5.63% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Horizon Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Hilltop National Bank bought a new position in Natera during the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group acquired a new position in Natera in the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its position in shares of Natera by 95.7% during the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 225 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the period. Finally, Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera during the 3rd quarter worth $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

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.