Stephens Boosts Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Price Target to $235.00

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its target price hoisted by Stephens from $197.00 to $235.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the medical research company’s stock. Stephens’ target price would suggest a potential upside of 15.04% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on NTRA. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Natera from $190.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on shares of Natera from $200.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. BTIG Research increased their target price on Natera from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Natera from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $216.65.

Natera Price Performance

NTRA stock opened at $204.28 on Thursday. Natera has a fifty-two week low of $125.38 and a fifty-two week high of $212.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.19 billion, a PE ratio of -89.21 and a beta of 1.75. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $181.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $165.57.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 7th. The medical research company reported ($0.64) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.39) by ($0.25). The business had revenue of $592.18 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $514.55 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.61% and a negative return on equity of 25.07%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 34.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.26) earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Natera will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other news, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 2,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.99, for a total transaction of $459,222.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 6,015 shares in the company, valued at $1,004,444.85. The trade was a 31.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 160,703 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.96, for a total value of $32,134,171.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 144,816 shares in the company, valued at $28,957,407.36. This represents a 52.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 223,336 shares of company stock valued at $42,990,633 over the last quarter. 5.63% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Natera

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in Natera in the first quarter worth about $29,000. Horizon Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera in the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. TCTC Holdings LLC raised its stake in Natera by 114.8% during the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 232 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 83.5% during the first quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 233 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank purchased a new position in Natera in the second quarter worth about $33,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.