Piper Sandler Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its price objective raised by analysts at Piper Sandler from $200.00 to $205.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the medical research company’s stock. Piper Sandler’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 38.59% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Barclays began coverage on Natera in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price target on Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $173.56.

Natera Stock Performance

NASDAQ NTRA opened at $147.92 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $19.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -84.05 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a quick ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $166.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $147.62. Natera has a twelve month low of $83.13 and a twelve month high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.42) by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $476.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $447.91 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Natera will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 43,502 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.88, for a total value of $7,694,633.76. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 70,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,492,857.52. This represents a 38.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.77, for a total value of $117,861.51. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 156,044 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,739,941.88. The trade was a 0.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 208,299 shares of company stock worth $34,948,265 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in Natera by 20.7% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC boosted its position in Natera by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 3,629 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $574,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated boosted its position in Natera by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 2,963 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $470,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its position in Natera by 34.3% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC boosted its position in Natera by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 1,325 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $210,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.