Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Natera Put Options (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Monday. Traders purchased 2,463 put options on the stock. This is an increase of 465% compared to the typical daily volume of 436 put options.

Natera Trading Down 0.1 %

NTRA stock traded down $0.14 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $133.97. 1,807,588 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,308,334. Natera has a 12-month low of $46.96 and a 12-month high of $140.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.57 billion, a P/E ratio of -54.68 and a beta of 1.53. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $124.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $114.21. The company has a quick ratio of 4.01, a current ratio of 4.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.30) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.69) by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $413.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $343.00 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 21.47% and a negative return on equity of 36.74%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 58.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.97) EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Natera will post -1.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In related news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,866 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.45, for a total value of $235,955.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 68,851 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,706,208.95. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,866 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.45, for a total value of $235,955.70. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 68,851 shares in the company, valued at $8,706,208.95. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 12,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.01, for a total transaction of $1,452,120.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 287,441 shares of the company's stock, valued at $34,783,235.41. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 47,464 shares of company stock valued at $5,849,977 in the last ninety days. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NTRA. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Natera in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Quarry LP increased its stake in Natera by 148.4% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 318 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Natera by 50.0% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 324 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 34.3% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. Finally, Tobam purchased a new position in shares of Natera in the second quarter valued at approximately $74,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on NTRA shares. BTIG Research boosted their price target on Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $125.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Leerink Partners raised their target price on shares of Natera from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Natera has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $125.69.

Natera Company Profile

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.