Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Guggenheim Analyst Says

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its price objective upped by equities researchers at Guggenheim from $170.00 to $200.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the medical research company’s stock. Guggenheim’s target price indicates a potential upside of 26.29% from the company’s previous close.

NTRA has been the subject of a number of other reports. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Natera from $132.00 to $176.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Craig Hallum increased their target price on shares of Natera from $121.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Natera from $150.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $160.63.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NTRA opened at $158.36 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $164.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $134.28. The stock has a market cap of $20.91 billion, a PE ratio of -89.98 and a beta of 1.65. Natera has a 1-year low of $62.96 and a 1-year high of $183.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 4.23.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.57) by $0.31. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The firm had revenue of $439.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $361.43 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.95) EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 63.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Natera will post -1.61 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other Natera news, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 1,767 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.24, for a total transaction of $300,814.08. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,202 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,055,828.48. This trade represents a 22.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider John Fesko sold 669 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.60, for a total value of $106,772.40. Following the sale, the insider now owns 114,142 shares in the company, valued at $18,217,063.20. This trade represents a 0.58 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 123,409 shares of company stock valued at $20,045,631 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC boosted its stake in Natera by 37.9% during the 3rd quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC now owns 41,302 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $5,243,000 after purchasing an additional 11,362 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 27.0% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 86,144 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $10,936,000 after buying an additional 18,316 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Natera during the third quarter worth about $385,000. Everence Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter worth about $573,000. Finally, Jag Capital Management LLC increased its position in Natera by 8.8% in the 3rd quarter. Jag Capital Management LLC now owns 175,590 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $22,291,000 after acquiring an additional 14,159 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Natera

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.