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

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) has been assigned an average rating of “Buy” from the fifteen brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $119.07.

Several research firms recently weighed in on NTRA. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Natera in a report on Monday, June 3rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $142.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of Natera from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, August 9th. TD Cowen upped their target price on Natera from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, BTIG Research lifted their price target on Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,105 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.61, for a total value of $681,379.05. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 213,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,812,105.11. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider Daniel Rabinowitz sold 1,057 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Monday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.77, for a total value of $108,627.89. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 206,400 shares in the company, valued at $21,211,728. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,105 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.61, for a total transaction of $681,379.05. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 213,351 shares in the company, valued at $23,812,105.11. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 100,891 shares of company stock valued at $11,136,249. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter valued at about $83,970,000. Perceptive Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Natera by 289.7% during the fourth quarter. Perceptive Advisors LLC now owns 850,225 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $53,258,000 after purchasing an additional 632,047 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,971,895 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $687,280,000 after purchasing an additional 588,147 shares during the period. Farallon Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Natera by 13.6% during the 2nd quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 4,460,557 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $483,034,000 after purchasing an additional 532,874 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Light Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Natera by 295.9% during the 1st quarter. First Light Asset Management LLC now owns 656,708 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $60,063,000 after buying an additional 490,822 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Price Performance

Natera stock opened at $122.71 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $15.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -39.33 and a beta of 1.48. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $110.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $99.15. Natera has a 1 year low of $36.90 and a 1 year high of $124.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 4.12 and a quick ratio of 3.98.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.30) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.69) by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $413.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $343.00 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 49.72% and a negative net margin of 30.24%. Natera’s quarterly revenue was up 58.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.97) earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Natera will post -2.43 earnings per share for the current year.

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.