Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-two research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $267.8333.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on NTRA shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Natera from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Natera in a research note on Friday, June 26th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $310.00 price target for the company. BTIG Research set a $275.00 price objective on Natera and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Natera from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th.

Natera Stock Performance

Natera stock opened at $267.76 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $246.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $222.13. The stock has a market cap of $38.35 billion, a P/E ratio of -164.27 and a beta of 1.51. Natera has a fifty-two week low of $131.81 and a fifty-two week high of $288.04.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 3,580 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.07, for a total value of $909,570.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 102,973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,162,350.11. This represents a 3.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider John Fesko sold 931 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.07, for a total transaction of $236,539.17. Following the transaction, the insider owned 184,069 shares in the company, valued at $46,766,410.83. The trade was a 0.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold 173,469 shares of company stock worth $39,310,838 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Natera

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera in the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Reflection Asset Management bought a new stake in Natera during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Palladiem LLC bought a new stake in Natera during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust boosted its position in Natera by 103.8% during 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 period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Natera by 132.9% in the 1st quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 170 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.