Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Given New $365.00 Price Target at Citigroup

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its price objective hoisted by equities researchers at Citigroup from $315.00 to $365.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the medical research company’s stock. Citigroup’s price target suggests a potential upside of 17.52% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on NTRA. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Natera in a research note on Friday, June 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $245.00 price target on the stock. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $340.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, August 7th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research report on Monday, July 6th. UBS Group set a $260.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $348.00 target price on Natera in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $319.38.

Natera Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA traded down $5.37 during trading on Thursday, hitting $310.59. 1,060,169 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,362,841. Natera has a 1-year low of $152.62 and a 1-year high of $326.03. The company has a market capitalization of $44.77 billion, a P/E ratio of -227.79 and a beta of 1.51. The business’s 50 day moving average is $260.10 and its 200-day moving average is $225.33.

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, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.49) by $0.02. The company had revenue of $752.75 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $661.24 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 11.82% and a negative net margin of 7.11%.Natera’s revenue for the quarter was up 37.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($0.74) EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Natera will post -1.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 3,076 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $266.39, for a total value of $819,415.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 99,897 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,611,561.83. This trade represents a 2.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 295 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $267.99, for a total transaction of $79,057.05. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 183,774 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,249,594.26. The trade was a 0.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 181,045 shares of company stock worth $41,330,968. 5.05% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Natera

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cibc World Market Inc. bought a new stake in Natera in the 2nd quarter valued at about $316,000. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp bought a new position in Natera in the second quarter worth approximately $3,480,000. Osmosis Investment Management UK Ltd bought a new position in Natera in the second quarter worth approximately $889,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Natera in the second quarter valued at approximately $4,963,000. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia acquired a new stake in Natera in the second quarter valued at approximately $11,998,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.