Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) have been given an average rating of “Buy” by the sixteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $175.76.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on NTRA. Barclays reduced their price target on Natera from $200.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Natera from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $251.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 25,931 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total transaction of $4,277,837.07. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 109,665 shares in the company, valued at $18,091,435.05. This represents a 19.12 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total value of $12,958,888.41. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 267,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,150,756.13. The trade was a 22.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 325,922 shares of company stock worth $51,603,664. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Natera

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in Natera during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Natera by 104.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Natera by 345.8% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Natera by 372.9% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. increased its holdings in Natera by 20.7% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Trading Up 3.3 %

Shares of NTRA opened at $148.04 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a current ratio of 4.39. The firm has a market cap of $20.01 billion, a P/E ratio of -84.11 and a beta of 1.80. Natera has a fifty-two week low of $83.13 and a fifty-two week high of $183.00. The business has a 50-day moving average of $152.66 and a 200 day moving average of $152.05.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.42) by $0.01. The company had revenue of $476.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $447.91 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Natera will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

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.