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

Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) have received a consensus rating of “Buy” from the fifteen research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $120.07.

Several brokerages have issued reports on NTRA. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Monday, June 3rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $142.00 price target on the stock. TD Cowen increased their target price on Natera from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on Natera from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. BTIG Research boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, August 9th.

Natera Stock Performance

NASDAQ NTRA opened at $123.85 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $115.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $106.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 4.14 and a quick ratio of 4.01. The company has a market capitalization of $15.21 billion, a P/E ratio of -39.70 and a beta of 1.53. Natera has a 1-year low of $36.90 and a 1-year high of $132.01.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.30) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.69) by $0.39. Natera had a negative return on equity of 36.74% and a negative net margin of 21.47%. The business had revenue of $413.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $343.00 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($0.97) earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 58.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Natera will post -1.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,866 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.65, for a total value of $185,946.90. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 71,955 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,170,315.75. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 2,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.87, for a total transaction of $293,949.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 301,808 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,857,836.96. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,866 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.65, for a total value of $185,946.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 71,955 shares in the company, valued at $7,170,315.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 93,921 shares of company stock worth $10,551,281. 7.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of NTRA. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in Natera by 1,073.1% in the 2nd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 65,730 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $7,118,000 after acquiring an additional 60,127 shares during the period. Thematics Asset Management boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Thematics Asset Management now owns 90,232 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $5,652,000 after purchasing an additional 2,738 shares during the period. Crestline Management LP grew its holdings in Natera by 16.0% during the 4th quarter. Crestline Management LP now owns 65,070 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $4,076,000 after purchasing an additional 8,997 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Natera by 15.1% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 74,460 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $6,810,000 after buying an additional 9,781 shares during the period. Finally, Perceptive Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Natera by 289.7% in the 4th quarter. Perceptive Advisors LLC now owns 850,225 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $53,258,000 after buying an additional 632,047 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Company Profile

Natera, Inc, a diagnostics company, develops and commercializes molecular testing services worldwide. Its products include Panorama, a non-invasive prenatal test that screens for chromosomal abnormalities of a fetus, as well as in twin pregnancies; Horizon carrier screening test for individuals and couples determine if they are carriers of genetic variations that cause certain genetic conditions; Vistara single-gene NIPT screens for 25 single-gene disorders that cause severe skeletal, cardiac, and neurological conditions; Spectrum, preimplantation genetic tests for couples undergoing IVF; Anora that analyzes miscarriage tissue from women; Empower, a hereditary cancer screening test; and non-invasive prenatal paternity product, which allows a couple to establish paternity without waiting for the child to be born.