Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Upgraded by Rothschild & Co Redburn to “Strong-Buy” Rating

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) was upgraded by investment analysts at Rothschild & Co Redburn to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday, Zacks reports.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on NTRA. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Natera in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $260.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup upped their target price on Natera from $315.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Natera from $220.00 to $284.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Natera from $290.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $348.00 price target on Natera in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $322.50.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA opened at $324.14 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $294.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $239.44. Natera has a 52-week low of $157.43 and a 52-week high of $343.18. The company has a market capitalization of $46.72 billion, a P/E ratio of -238.34 and a beta of 1.54.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The medical research company reported ($0.47) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $752.75 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $661.24 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.74) earnings per share. Natera’s revenue for the quarter was up 37.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Natera will post -1.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Steven Chapman sold 3,580 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.07, for a total transaction of $909,570.60. Following the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 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 business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $321.53, for a total value of $2,095,411.01. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 197,257 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $63,424,043.21. The trade was a 3.20% 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. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 71,206 shares of company stock valued at $19,944,069. Corporate insiders own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NTRA. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,962,770,000. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc bought a new position in shares of Natera in the second quarter worth approximately $5,117,000. Abbot Financial Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Natera in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,537,000. Eagle Health Investments LP purchased a new stake in Natera in the second quarter valued at approximately $4,302,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in Natera by 3,373.1% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 11,253 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $2,251,000 after purchasing an additional 10,929 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Company Profile

Natera, Inc is a diagnostic company that develops and commercializes molecular testing services based on cell-free DNA and other genetic technologies. The company’s tests are designed to help clinicians assess genetic and reproductive health, monitor organ transplants, and detect and track cancer.

Its principal products include Panorama, a noninvasive prenatal screening test; Horizon, a carrier screening test; Signatera, a personalized circulating tumor DNA test used in cancer monitoring; and Prospera, a molecular test intended to help assess the risk of organ transplant rejection.