Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Shares Gap Up After Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock had previously closed at $135.12, but opened at $155.56. Natera shares last traded at $163.45, with a volume of 653,463 shares changing hands.

The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.57) by $0.31. Natera had a negative net margin of 21.47% and a negative return on equity of 36.74%. The business had revenue of $439.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $361.43 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.95) EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 63.9% on a year-over-year basis.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. BTIG Research boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com upgraded Natera from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Natera from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Natera presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $129.13.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,583 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.91, for a total value of $663,874.53. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 200,710 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,866,426.10. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,583 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.91, for a total value of $663,874.53. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 200,710 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,866,426.10. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.01, for a total value of $1,452,120.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 287,441 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,783,235.41. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 47,464 shares of company stock worth $5,849,977. 7.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in Natera by 1,073.1% in the 2nd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 65,730 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $7,118,000 after acquiring an additional 60,127 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in Natera by 15.1% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 74,460 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $6,810,000 after buying an additional 9,781 shares in the last quarter. Natixis acquired a new position in Natera in the 1st quarter valued at $758,000. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in Natera by 37.9% in the 3rd quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC now owns 41,302 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $5,243,000 after buying an additional 11,362 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft acquired a new position in Natera in the 2nd quarter valued at $478,000. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Trading Up 21.0 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 4.01 and a current ratio of 4.14. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $125.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $114.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -66.71 and a beta of 1.53.

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.