Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Rating Increased to Hold at StockNews.com

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their target price on shares of Natera from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Natera from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $150.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, September 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Natera currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $124.44.

Natera Price Performance

NTRA stock opened at $122.40 on Thursday. 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 $36.90 and a 12 month high of $133.54. The firm has a market cap of $15.03 billion, a P/E ratio of -39.23 and a beta of 1.53. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $123.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $110.36.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.30) EPS 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $343.00 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.97) EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 58.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Natera will post -1.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 4,523 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.40, for a total transaction of $589,799.20. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 191,163 shares in the company, valued at $24,927,655.20. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 4,523 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.40, for a total transaction of $589,799.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 191,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,927,655.20. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,866 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.65, for a total transaction of $185,946.90. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 71,955 shares in the company, valued at $7,170,315.75. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 50,765 shares of company stock worth $6,016,700 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in Natera in the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Quarry LP increased its holdings in Natera by 148.4% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 318 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Natera by 50.0% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 324 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Tobam bought a new stake in Natera in the second quarter worth approximately $74,000. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale bought a new stake in Natera in the first quarter worth approximately $83,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.