Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $253.4667.

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on NTRA. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Natera from $265.00 to $250.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Natera from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Natera from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $239.00 to $257.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price target on Natera from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th.

Natera Stock Up 2.5%

NTRA stock opened at $200.09 on Tuesday. Natera has a twelve month low of $125.38 and a twelve month high of $256.36. The firm has a market cap of $28.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -130.78 and a beta of 1.65. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $214.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $208.02.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.46) by $0.81. The firm had revenue of $665.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $600.68 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 9.03% and a negative return on equity of 15.28%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.41) earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Natera will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other Natera news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 785 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.13, for a total value of $160,242.05. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 63,354 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,932,452.02. This represents a 1.22% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,623 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.13, for a total value of $1,147,822.99. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 156,607 shares in the company, valued at $31,968,186.91. The trade was a 3.47% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 318,344 shares of company stock valued at $74,091,416. Company insiders own 5.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Reflection Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Natera in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Palladiem LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Horizon Investments LLC purchased a new position in Natera during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust increased its holdings in Natera by 103.8% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 163 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its stake in Natera by 95.7% in the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 225 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Natera

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.