Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Trading 9.1% Higher on Analyst Upgrade

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)’s share price traded up 9.1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday after BTIG Research raised their price target on the stock from $250.00 to $270.00. BTIG Research currently has a buy rating on the stock. Natera traded as high as $255.48 and last traded at $256.1530. 895,207 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 33% from the average session volume of 1,332,515 shares. The stock had previously closed at $234.76.

NTRA has been the subject of several other research reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Natera from $265.00 to $250.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $249.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Natera in a report on Thursday, June 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Natera from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Natera in a report on Friday, June 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $245.00 price objective on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Natera currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $255.94.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other Natera news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 3,070 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $193.74, for a total value of $594,781.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 58,291 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,293,298.34. This trade represents a 5.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed 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, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 11,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.21, for a total value of $2,389,310.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 6,183 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,343,009.43. This represents a 64.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 162,342 shares of company stock worth $35,283,396 in the last three months. Insiders own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Horizon Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Natera by 22.0% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 244 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its stake in shares of Natera by 20.0% during the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 270 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Natera by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. now owns 1,541 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $353,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its stake in Natera by 5.5% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 905 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $181,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Corp increased its holdings in Natera by 5.5% during the 1st quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 982 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $196,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Natera Trading Up 9.1%

The firm has a market capitalization of $36.69 billion, a P/E ratio of -157.17 and a beta of 1.56. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $209.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $215.30.

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.