StockNews.com Upgrades Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) to Hold

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report released on Wednesday.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on the stock. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their target price on shares of Natera from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, August 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Natera presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.69.

Natera Stock Performance

Natera stock opened at $134.11 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 4.14 and a quick ratio of 4.01. Natera has a 1-year low of $44.77 and a 1-year high of $134.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.59 billion, a P/E ratio of -54.74 and a beta of 1.53. The company’s 50-day moving average is $124.35 and its 200 day moving average is $113.75.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.30) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.69) by $0.39. Natera had a negative net margin of 21.47% and a negative return on equity of 36.74%. The company had revenue of $413.35 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $343.00 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.97) EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 58.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Natera will post -1.96 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 2,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.82, for a total transaction of $307,314.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 299,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $34,082,374.62. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Natera news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 608 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Monday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.76, for a total value of $73,422.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 74,014 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,937,930.64. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 2,700 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.82, for a total transaction of $307,314.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 299,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $34,082,374.62. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 50,164 shares of company stock valued at $6,157,291 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. King Luther Capital Management Corp increased its holdings in Natera by 0.6% in the third quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 30,036 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $3,813,000 after buying an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Natera by 17.6% during the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,778 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $607,000 after purchasing an additional 714 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Natera during the third quarter worth about $9,157,000. Jennison Associates LLC increased its stake in shares of Natera by 2.1% during the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 771,962 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $98,001,000 after purchasing an additional 15,710 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commerce Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Natera during the third quarter worth about $286,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

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.