Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Upgraded at Citigroup

Citigroup upgraded shares of Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) to a strong-buy rating in a report released on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on NTRA. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Natera from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Barclays increased their price target on Natera from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Natera from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Stephens upped their target price on shares of Natera from $197.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of Natera from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $172.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, October 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Natera has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $241.18.

Natera Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $234.31 on Wednesday. Natera has a 52-week low of $125.38 and a 52-week high of $256.36. The stock has a market cap of $32.41 billion, a P/E ratio of -102.32 and a beta of 1.62. The business has a fifty day moving average of $227.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $186.09.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The medical research company reported ($0.64) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.39) by ($0.25). Natera had a negative net margin of 14.61% and a negative return on equity of 25.07%. The firm had revenue of $592.18 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $514.55 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.26) EPS. The company’s revenue was up 34.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Natera will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 3,848 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $229.08, for a total transaction of $881,499.84. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 136,568 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,284,997.44. This represents a 2.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Herm Rosenman sold 48,419 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.42, for a total transaction of $11,011,448.98. Following the sale, the director directly owned 20,342 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,626,177.64. The trade was a 70.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 343,280 shares of company stock valued at $73,566,011. 5.63% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its holdings in Natera by 6.6% in the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,560 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $221,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Natera by 68.3% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 4,552 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $644,000 after purchasing an additional 1,847 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 8.6% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 5,993 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $847,000 after purchasing an additional 474 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Natera by 142.9% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,098 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $155,000 after purchasing an additional 646 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the first quarter worth $8,992,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

About Natera

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.