Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Price Target Raised to $135.00

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its price target raised by Sanford C. Bernstein from $125.00 to $135.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the medical research company’s stock.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Natera from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Natera from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. StockNews.com cut Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, BTIG Research raised 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $125.69.

Natera Stock Performance

Natera stock opened at $124.16 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $123.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $112.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -50.68 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a quick ratio of 4.01, a current ratio of 4.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Natera has a 12-month low of $40.17 and a 12-month high of $133.54.

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

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,583 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.91, for a total transaction of $663,874.53. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 200,710 shares in the company, valued at $23,866,426.10. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,866 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.45, for a total transaction of $235,955.70. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 68,851 shares in the company, valued at $8,706,208.95. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,583 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.91, for a total transaction of $663,874.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 200,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,866,426.10. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 50,164 shares of company stock valued at $6,157,291 over the last 90 days. 7.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in Natera in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Quarry LP raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 148.4% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 318 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 50.0% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 324 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 34.3% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tobam bought a new stake in shares of Natera in the second quarter worth $74,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.