Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Shares Down 7.6% – What’s Next?

by · The Cerbat Gem

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA – Get Free Report) shares fell 7.6% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $234.29 and last traded at $235.1150. 940,615 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 15% from the average session volume of 1,112,509 shares. The stock had previously closed at $254.40.

Key Stories Impacting Natera

Here are the key news stories impacting Natera this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: Multiple new/renewed buy ratings — Citigroup initiated coverage with a Buy and Piper Sandler issued a Buy, while Guggenheim reiterated its Buy — supporting upside and analyst attention. Citigroup Buy Initiation Piper Sandler Buy Guggenheim Reiterate
  • Positive Sentiment: Clinical collaboration with Exelixis on the STELLAR‑316 Phase 3 trial (Zanzalintinib for colorectal cancer) increases potential commercial opportunities for Natera’s Signatera MRD test and drives biotech partnership sentiment. Exelixis Collaboration
  • Neutral Sentiment: Analyst consensus remains favorable (average “Moderate Buy” and several raised price targets), which provides a floor for shares but signals expectations are already baked into price. Analyst Consensus / Moderate Buy
  • Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling: recent disclosures show roughly US$47M of insider sales and separate filings for CEO and other insiders selling shares, which can create near‑term supply and spook short‑term holders. Insider Sales Report
  • Negative Sentiment: Mixed fundamentals: last quarter showed strong revenue growth but an EPS miss and continued negative margins/ROE, leaving profitability timelines uncertain and keeping valuation risk elevated. Market Data & Earnings Summary

Analyst Ratings Changes

NTRA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Barclays upped their target price on Natera from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Natera to a “hold” rating and set a $172.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $238.89.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on NTRA

Natera Price Performance

The firm’s fifty day moving average is $225.41 and its 200 day moving average is $185.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -102.23 and a beta of 1.62.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). The company had revenue of $592.18 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $514.55 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.61% and a negative return on equity of 25.07%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 34.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.26) EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 3,848 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $229.08, for a total transaction of $881,499.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 136,568 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,284,997.44. This trade represents a 2.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 2,951 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.95, for a total value of $675,631.45. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 123,499 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,275,096.05. The trade was a 2.33% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 343,280 shares of company stock valued at $73,566,011. 5.63% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Natera

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Hilltop National Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Natera during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Horizon Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Natera during the third quarter worth $32,000. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group acquired a new stake in Natera during the second quarter worth $36,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its holdings in Natera by 95.7% in the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 225 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the period. Finally, Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the 3rd quarter valued at $46,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Natera

(Get Free Report)

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.

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