Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Given Average Rating of “Buy” by Brokerages

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) has received an average rating of “Buy” from the fifteen research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $184.63.

NTRA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Natera from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Natera from $211.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 17th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th.

Natera Stock Performance

NTRA stock opened at $148.40 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $160.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $158.26. Natera has a one year low of $92.14 and a one year high of $183.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.26 billion, a P/E ratio of -100.95 and a beta of 1.73.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.50) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.59) by $0.09. Natera had a negative return on equity of 18.29% and a negative net margin of 10.36%. The firm had revenue of $501.83 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $446.68 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.56) EPS. Natera’s quarterly revenue was up 36.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Natera will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other news, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 4,299 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.36, for a total value of $719,480.64. Following the transaction, the director owned 8,118 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,358,628.48. This trade represents a 34.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,980 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.10, for a total value of $1,047,698.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 185,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,795,818.20. This trade represents a 3.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 53,272 shares of company stock worth $8,345,368 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NTRA. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in Natera by 1,328.0% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 357 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in Natera by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,951 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $467,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its stake in Natera by 9.9% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 11,342 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,795,000 after acquiring an additional 1,023 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Natera by 372.9% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Twin Tree Management LP boosted its position in Natera by 223.7% during the fourth quarter. Twin Tree Management LP now owns 17,321 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $2,742,000 after purchasing an additional 31,321 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

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.