Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Roth Capital

Analysts at Roth Capital initiated coverage on shares of Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) in a research report issued on Thursday, Marketbeat reports. The firm set a “buy” rating on the medical research company’s stock.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Natera from $340.00 to $480.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Leerink Partners set a $330.00 price objective on Natera in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Guggenheim raised their target price on Natera from $360.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $290.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Natera currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $379.20.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA traded up $2.58 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $403.95. The company had a trading volume of 1,101,763 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,654,882. Natera has a 12-month low of $181.00 and a 12-month high of $437.41. The company has a market capitalization of $58.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -297.02 and a beta of 1.50. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $367.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $282.37.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The medical research company reported ($0.47) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.49) by $0.02. Natera had a negative net margin of 7.11% and a negative return on equity of 11.38%. The business had revenue of $752.75 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $661.24 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.74) earnings per share. Natera’s revenue for the quarter was up 37.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Natera will post -1.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 15,160 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.89, for a total value of $4,955,652.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 110,859 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $36,238,698.51. This represents a 12.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible 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 6,517 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $321.53, for a total value of $2,095,411.01. Following the transaction, the insider owned 197,257 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $63,424,043.21. This trade represents a 3.20% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 52,985 shares of company stock valued at $16,119,137. 5.05% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Trust Co. of Vermont acquired a new stake in shares of Natera during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Natera during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Continuum Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Natera during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Natera during the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Burkett Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Natera during the 3rd quarter valued at $57,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Natera

Natera, Inc is a diagnostics company that develops and commercializes molecular testing services designed to provide personalized genetic and genomic information. Its tests are used across reproductive health, oncology and organ transplantation, with the company combining next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics to analyze DNA and monitor disease-related signals.

In reproductive health, Natera offers Panorama noninvasive prenatal screening, Horizon carrier screening and Vistara single-gene disorder screening.