JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Positive Forecast for Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock Price

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its price target raised by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $160.00 to $200.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the medical research company’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price target indicates a potential upside of 20.08% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also commented on NTRA. Craig Hallum increased their price target on Natera from $121.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. StockNews.com lowered Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Natera from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Natera has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $152.67.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $166.55 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $144.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $124.56. Natera has a one year low of $57.22 and a one year high of $175.63. The firm has a market cap of $21.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -94.63 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 4.23.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.57) by $0.31. The business had revenue of $439.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $361.43 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.95) EPS. On average, analysts expect that Natera will post -1.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 1,767 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.24, for a total transaction of $300,814.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,202 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,055,828.48. The trade was a 22.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 4,858 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.59, for a total transaction of $809,294.22. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 114,912 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,143,190.08. This trade represents a 4.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 137,987 shares of company stock valued at $21,895,591. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Natera

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Exome Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Natera by 20.4% in the third quarter. Exome Asset Management LLC now owns 22,450 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $2,850,000 after acquiring an additional 3,800 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Natera by 42.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,099,335 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $144,958,000 after purchasing an additional 328,375 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Natera during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $385,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Natera by 113.1% in the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 7,486 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $950,000 after buying an additional 3,973 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Coldstream Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the third quarter valued at approximately $305,000. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

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.