Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Receives $178.12 Average Price Target from Analysts

Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) have received a consensus rating of “Buy” from the sixteen analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $178.12.

NTRA has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on Natera in a research report on Thursday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $251.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on 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 boosted their price objective on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Natera from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Natera news, insider John Fesko sold 669 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 owns 114,142 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,217,063.20. The trade was a 0.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 43,502 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.88, for a total value of $7,694,633.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 70,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,492,857.52. This represents a 38.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 298,946 shares of company stock valued at $47,803,462. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 27.0% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 86,144 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $10,936,000 after acquiring an additional 18,316 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the third quarter valued at $385,000. Everence Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter valued at $573,000. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the third quarter valued at $505,000. Finally, First Turn Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the third quarter valued at $19,760,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Stock Up 4.0 %

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $148.22 on Friday. Natera has a 12 month low of $83.13 and a 12 month high of $183.00. The firm has a market cap of $20.04 billion, a PE ratio of -84.22 and a beta of 1.80. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $163.70 and a 200-day moving average of $148.83. The company has a quick ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.42) by $0.01. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The company had revenue of $476.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $447.91 million. On average, equities analysts predict 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.