Analysts Set Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Target Price at $238.89

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $241.1765.

Several analysts have recently issued reports on NTRA shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Natera from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 1st. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Natera from $190.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Stephens lifted their price objective on Natera from $197.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 13th. BTIG Research increased their target price on Natera from $230.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Natera from $220.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st.

Natera Trading Down 2.2%

NASDAQ NTRA opened at $234.31 on Thursday. Natera has a twelve month low of $125.38 and a twelve month high of $256.36. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $227.04 and a 200 day moving average of $186.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -102.32 and a beta of 1.62.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Natera news, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 4,366 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $243.10, for a total value of $1,061,374.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 5,777 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,404,388.70. This represents a 43.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Herm Rosenman sold 48,419 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.42, for a total transaction of $11,011,448.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 20,342 shares in the company, valued at $4,626,177.64. This trade represents a 70.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 343,280 shares of company stock valued at $73,566,011. Corporate insiders own 5.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 12.2% during the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 727 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $167,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Natera by 25.9% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 45,835 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $11,476,000 after purchasing an additional 9,424 shares during the last quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC increased its position in Natera by 24.6% during the fourth quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 6,652 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,579,000 after purchasing an additional 1,312 shares during the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital raised its stake in Natera by 10.3% during the fourth quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 1,617 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $411,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in Natera by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 12,742 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $2,946,000 after purchasing an additional 1,568 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Company Profile

Natera is a global diagnostics company that develops and commercializes cell-free DNA and other genetic testing technologies for clinical applications. The company focuses on three principal areas: reproductive health (including non-invasive prenatal testing and carrier screening), oncology (tumor-informed assays for minimal residual disease and recurrence monitoring), and organ transplantation (cell-free DNA tests to detect allograft injury). Natera combines laboratory testing, proprietary bioinformatics, and clinical reporting to deliver personalized genetic information to clinicians and patients.

Key product offerings include Panorama, a non-invasive prenatal test that screens for fetal chromosomal abnormalities and select single-gene conditions; Horizon carrier screening for inherited conditions; Signatera, a personalized, tumor-informed assay used for detecting minimal residual disease and monitoring treatment response in cancer patients; and Prospera, a donor-derived cell-free DNA test used to assess the risk of organ rejection.