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

Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) have been assigned an average rating of “Buy” from the sixteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $160.63.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com lowered Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Leerink Partners boosted their price target on Natera from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Natera from $132.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NTRA opened at $171.93 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a current ratio of 4.39. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $165.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $135.41. The stock has a market cap of $22.70 billion, a P/E ratio of -97.69 and a beta of 1.65. Natera has a one year low of $62.96 and a one year high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $439.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $361.43 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($0.95) earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Natera will post -1.61 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other Natera news, insider John Fesko sold 669 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.60, for a total transaction of $106,772.40. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 114,142 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,217,063.20. The trade was a 0.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 1,196 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.21, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents a 1.07 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 224,824 shares of company stock worth $36,912,749 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 37.9% in the 3rd quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC now owns 41,302 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $5,243,000 after purchasing an additional 11,362 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in Natera by 27.0% in the 3rd 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 period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Natera in the third quarter valued at about $385,000. Everence Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Natera during the fourth quarter worth about $573,000. Finally, First Turn Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera during the third quarter valued at about $19,760,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.