Zacks Research Downgrades Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) to Strong Sell

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) was downgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

NTRA has been the topic of several other research reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Natera from $250.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $260.00 target price on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. BTIG Research set a $275.00 price objective on shares of Natera and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Natera from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $267.83.

Natera Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA opened at $277.37 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $231.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $219.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -170.17 and a beta of 1.51. Natera has a 52-week low of $131.81 and a 52-week high of $288.04.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other news, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 11,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.21, for a total transaction of $2,389,310.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 6,183 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,343,009.43. This trade represents a 64.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Herm Rosenman sold 16,530 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $4,132,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,062,500. The trade was a 79.55% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 178,872 shares of company stock valued at $39,627,696. Insiders own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Natera by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,560 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $221,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Natera by 68.3% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 4,552 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $644,000 after acquiring an additional 1,847 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in shares of Natera by 8.6% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 5,993 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $847,000 after purchasing an additional 474 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera in the second quarter valued at about $298,000. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Natera in the second quarter valued at about $558,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

About Natera

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.