Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Evercore lifted their price objective on Natera from $190.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Zacks Research raised Natera from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 1st. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Natera from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Natera from $239.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Monday, January 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Natera presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.47.

Natera Stock Up 3.6%

NTRA opened at $205.22 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $29.09 billion, a P/E ratio of -134.13 and a beta of 1.65. Natera has a 12 month low of $125.38 and a 12 month high of $256.36. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $222.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $205.90.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.46) by $0.81. Natera had a negative return on equity of 15.28% and a negative net margin of 9.03%.The firm had revenue of $665.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $600.68 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.41) earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Natera will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, insider John Fesko sold 17,806 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.74, for a total value of $4,179,780.44. Following the sale, the insider owned 177,591 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,687,711.34. This trade represents a 9.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Herm Rosenman sold 48,419 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.42, for a total value of $11,011,448.98. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 20,342 shares in the company, valued at $4,626,177.64. The trade was a 70.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 363,303 shares of company stock valued at $84,523,079 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 5.63% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Reflection Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Palladiem LLC bought a new position in Natera in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Horizon Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Natera in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust increased its stake in Natera by 103.8% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 163 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its position in Natera by 95.7% during the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 225 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.