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

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Buy” by the fifteen ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $152.67.

NTRA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Natera from $132.00 to $176.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Leerink Partners boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Natera from $150.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th.

Natera Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of Natera stock opened at $160.26 on Friday. Natera has a 1 year low of $58.53 and a 1 year high of $175.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 4.23. The stock has a market cap of $21.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -91.06 and a beta of 1.63. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $150.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $128.12.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider John Fesko sold 669 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.60, for a total value of $106,772.40. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 114,142 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,217,063.20. This represents a 0.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 4,523 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.40, for a total value of $589,799.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 191,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,927,655.20. The trade was a 2.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 130,932 shares of company stock valued at $21,012,440. Insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Natera

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Natera by 2.9% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,012,498 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $128,537,000 after purchasing an additional 28,751 shares during the period. Exome Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Natera by 20.4% during the 3rd quarter. Exome Asset Management LLC now owns 22,450 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $2,850,000 after buying an additional 3,800 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 42.6% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,099,335 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $144,958,000 after buying an additional 328,375 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Natera in the third quarter worth about $385,000. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Natera by 113.1% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 7,486 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $950,000 after acquiring an additional 3,973 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.