Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Rating Increased to Neutral at BNP Paribas Exane

BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) from an underperform rating to a neutral rating in a report issued on Monday morning, Marketbeat reports. They currently have $172.00 price objective on the medical research company’s stock.

Several other research firms have also commented on NTRA. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $195.00 price target on shares of Natera in a report on Sunday, August 10th. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $200.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $220.00 price objective (up from $210.00) on shares of Natera in a report on Monday, August 11th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $183.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Monday, September 22nd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $175.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $194.89.

Natera Stock Down 0.2%

NASDAQ NTRA opened at $192.22 on Monday. Natera has a 52 week low of $117.27 and a 52 week high of $198.99. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $171.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $160.71. The firm has a market cap of $26.38 billion, a PE ratio of -100.64 and a beta of 1.74.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical research company reported ($0.74) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.60) by ($0.14). Natera had a negative return on equity of 22.22% and a negative net margin of 12.89%.The company had revenue of $546.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $476.84 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.30) EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 32.2% on a year-over-year basis. Natera has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Research analysts expect that Natera will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Natera news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 2,491 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.05, for a total value of $403,666.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 69,189 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,212,077.45. The trade was a 3.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,000 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.89, for a total value of $398,670.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 123,059 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,353,310.51. This represents a 2.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 57,374 shares of company stock worth $9,108,022 over the last 90 days. 5.63% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in Natera in the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. TCTC Holdings LLC grew its position in Natera by 114.8% in the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 232 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in shares of Natera by 83.5% during the first quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 233 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Hilltop National Bank acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the second quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the second quarter worth about $36,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Natera

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.