Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Piper Sandler Analyst Says

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its price objective hoisted by equities researchers at Piper Sandler from $205.00 to $210.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the medical research company’s stock. Piper Sandler’s target price indicates a potential upside of 37.62% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, February 28th. Guggenheim raised their target price on Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $182.12.

Natera Price Performance

Natera stock opened at $152.59 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. Natera has a 52-week low of $92.14 and a 52-week high of $183.00. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $148.71 and a 200-day simple moving average of $156.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -86.70 and a beta of 1.79.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.50) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.59) by $0.09. The company had revenue of $501.83 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $446.68 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. Natera’s revenue for the quarter was up 36.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.56) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Natera will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Natera news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 2,562 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.41, for a total value of $354,606.42. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 75,557 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,457,844.37. This represents a 3.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,980 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.10, for a total value of $1,047,698.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 185,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,795,818.20. This represents a 3.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 152,436 shares of company stock valued at $22,019,079. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in Natera by 11.6% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 42,543 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $6,016,000 after buying an additional 4,425 shares during the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the 1st quarter valued at $244,000. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Natera by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,130 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $301,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Resources Management Corp CT ADV acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the 1st quarter valued at $58,000. Finally, UniSuper Management Pty Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the 1st quarter valued at $368,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.