Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-three research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $330.8333.

Several research firms recently commented on NTRA. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, June 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $245.00 price target on the stock. Robert W. Baird set a $348.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, August 7th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Natera from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Zacks Research raised Natera from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Natera from $249.00 to $363.50 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Chapman sold 1,698 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.99, for a total transaction of $545,041.02. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 98,199 shares in the company, valued at $31,520,897.01. This represents a 1.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Michael Brophy sold 478 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.22, for a total value of $131,077.16. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 51,637 shares in the company, valued at $14,159,898.14. This represents a 0.92% 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. Insiders sold 68,242 shares of company stock worth $19,301,534 in the last ninety days. 5.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 15.7% in the second quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,257 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,156,000 after purchasing an additional 578 shares during the period. BlueCrest Capital Management Ltd acquired a new position in Natera during the second quarter worth about $11,695,000. Engineers Gate Manager LP grew its position in Natera by 43.6% during the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 40,839 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $11,086,000 after buying an additional 12,395 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Natera by 335.3% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 23,730 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $6,441,000 after buying an additional 18,278 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in Natera by 250.1% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 5,336 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,448,000 after buying an additional 3,812 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA opened at $370.64 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $307.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $248.17. The stock has a market cap of $53.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -272.53 and a beta of 1.54. Natera has a 12 month low of $157.43 and a 12 month high of $373.07.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $752.75 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $661.24 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.74) earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 37.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Natera will post -1.02 EPS for the current year.

About Natera

Natera, Inc is a diagnostics company that develops and commercializes molecular testing services based on cell-free DNA and other genomic technologies. The company focuses on reproductive health, oncology and organ health, providing tests intended to support screening, diagnosis, treatment planning and disease monitoring.

Its reproductive health portfolio includes Panorama, a noninvasive prenatal test that screens for certain chromosomal conditions, and Horizon, a carrier screening test.