Leerink Partners Boosts Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Price Target to $150.00

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its target price boosted by Leerink Partners from $140.00 to $150.00 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the medical research company’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Natera from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, August 9th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 9th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Natera presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $124.44.

Natera Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of NTRA opened at $122.40 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $15.03 billion, a PE ratio of -39.23 and a beta of 1.53. Natera has a 12 month low of $36.90 and a 12 month high of $133.54. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $123.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $110.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 4.14 and a quick ratio of 4.01.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.30) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $413.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $343.00 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.97) earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 58.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Natera will post -1.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 4,523 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.40, for a total value of $589,799.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 191,163 shares in the company, valued at $24,927,655.20. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 3,000 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.67, for a total value of $377,010.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 57,432 shares in the company, valued at $7,217,479.44. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 4,523 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.40, for a total transaction of $589,799.20. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 191,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,927,655.20. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 50,765 shares of company stock valued at $6,016,700. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Quent Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Natera by 3.2% in the first quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 3,205 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $293,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Natera by 32.7% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 430 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Natera by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,646 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $336,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP raised its stake in shares of Natera by 148.4% during the 2nd 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. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Natera in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 99.90% of the stock is 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.