Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Receives Average Rating of “Buy” from Brokerages

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the seventeen brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $140.59.

Several brokerages have issued reports on NTRA. Craig Hallum raised their target price on Natera from $121.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Natera from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. StockNews.com downgraded Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. BTIG Research lifted their target price on Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 9th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,024 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.48, for a total transaction of $645,483.52. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 195,686 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,141,737.28. This represents a 2.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 1,196 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.21, for a total value of $141,379.16. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 110,695 shares in the company, valued at $13,085,255.95. The trade was a 1.07 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 46,503 shares of company stock valued at $6,325,804 in the last quarter. 7.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Natera by 42.6% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,099,335 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $144,958,000 after buying an additional 328,375 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Natera in the third quarter valued at about $385,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its stake in Natera by 113.1% in the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 7,486 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $950,000 after buying an additional 3,973 shares during the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Natera in the third quarter valued at about $305,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Natera by 7.4% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,090,480 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $265,747,000 after buying an additional 143,825 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Trading Down 0.4 %

Natera stock opened at $169.17 on Wednesday. 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 has a one year low of $55.56 and a one year high of $171.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.33 billion, a PE ratio of -96.12 and a beta of 1.63. The business’s fifty day moving average is $137.36 and its 200 day moving average is $121.28.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.57) by $0.31. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The company had revenue of $439.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $361.43 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.95) earnings per share. Natera’s revenue was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Natera will post -1.66 EPS for the current year.

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.