Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Sanford C. Bernstein Analyst Says

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its target price boosted by analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein from $125.00 to $135.00 in a report issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the medical research company’s stock. Sanford C. Bernstein’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 11.61% from the stock’s current price.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on NTRA. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 price target on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, August 9th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $150.00 price target on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, September 13th. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price target on Natera from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Natera from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.69.

Natera Trading Down 4.6 %

NASDAQ NTRA opened at $120.96 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $123.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $111.93. The company has a market capitalization of $14.96 billion, a PE ratio of -49.37 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a current ratio of 4.14, a quick ratio of 4.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Natera has a 12 month low of $37.67 and a 12 month high of $133.54.

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

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 2,700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.82, for a total transaction of $307,314.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 299,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $34,082,374.62. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 2,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.82, for a total value of $307,314.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 299,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $34,082,374.62. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 1,196 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.21, for a total value of $141,379.16. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 110,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,085,255.95. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 48,298 shares of company stock valued at $5,921,336. Insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Natera

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in Natera by 25.0% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,776 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $528,000 after purchasing an additional 1,155 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. acquired a new stake in Natera during the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,956,000. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lifted its holdings in Natera by 11.2% during the 1st quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 8,535 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $761,000 after purchasing an additional 857 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC acquired a new stake in Natera during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,392,000. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in Natera by 14.1% during the 1st quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 112,499 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $10,289,000 after purchasing an additional 13,898 shares during the last quarter. 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.