JPMorgan Chase & Co. Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its price objective raised by research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $315.00 to $360.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the medical research company’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective indicates a potential upside of 14.91% from the stock’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird set a $348.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Natera from $220.00 to $284.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Leerink Partners set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Natera presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $296.74.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA traded up $47.91 during trading on Friday, reaching $313.30. 1,581,004 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,349,040. Natera has a 12-month low of $149.38 and a 12-month high of $322.00. The firm has a market cap of $44.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -192.83 and a beta of 1.51. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $252.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $223.09.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The medical research company reported ($0.47) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.49) by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $752.75 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $661.24 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 9.05% and a negative return on equity of 14.74%. Natera’s revenue for the quarter was up 37.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.74) earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Natera will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,410 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $265.58, for a total value of $905,627.80. Following the sale, the insider owned 129,019 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $34,264,866.02. The trade was a 2.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, 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, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 478 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.22, for a total transaction of $131,077.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 51,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,159,898.14. This trade represents a 0.92% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 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. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 181,045 shares of company stock worth $41,330,968. 5.05% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Natera

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NTRA. Reflection Asset Management bought a new position in Natera in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Natera during the second quarter worth $30,000. Palladiem LLC bought a new stake in Natera during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Horizon Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Natera in the third quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Natera by 132.9% in the 1st quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 170 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Natera this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Natera reported second-quarter revenue of $752.8 million, up 37.7% year over year and well above the $661.2 million analyst consensus. The company’s adjusted loss of $0.47 per share was slightly better than the expected $0.49 loss and improved from a $0.74 loss a year earlier. Gross margin also increased to 64.5% from 63.4%. Natera Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised or reaffirmed its fiscal 2026 revenue outlook at approximately $2.9 billion, above the roughly $2.8 billion consensus estimate. The stronger outlook suggests continued momentum across Natera’s reproductive health, oncology and transplant-testing franchises.
• Positive Sentiment: Natera submitted its Signatera molecular residual disease test to Japan’s Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency for approval as a companion diagnostic in muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Regulatory approval could expand Signatera’s international market opportunity and create a future source of revenue growth. Natera Submits Signatera to Japan’s PMDA
• Neutral Sentiment: The earnings call provided additional management commentary on the quarter and outlook. Investors are likely focused on whether rapid revenue growth can continue while Natera improves profitability.
• Neutral Sentiment: The CEO, CFO and other executives sold shares under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans to cover tax withholding tied to vested equity awards. The transactions totaled roughly 7,576 shares, but the executives retained substantial holdings, limiting their significance as a negative confidence signal.

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.