Morgan Stanley Boosts Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Price Target to $185.00

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its price target boosted by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley from $176.00 to $185.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the medical research company’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price target suggests a potential upside of 30.74% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Natera has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $173.56.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA opened at $141.50 on Wednesday. Natera has a 1 year low of $83.13 and a 1 year high of $183.00. 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 fifty day moving average price of $166.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $147.63. The firm has a market cap of $18.68 billion, a P/E ratio of -80.40 and a beta of 1.66.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.01. The business had revenue of $476.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $447.91 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. Research analysts forecast that Natera will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other news, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 1,767 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.24, for a total transaction of $300,814.08. Following the sale, the director now owns 6,202 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,055,828.48. This trade represents a 22.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 4,858 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.59, for a total transaction of $809,294.22. Following the sale, the insider now owns 114,912 shares in the company, valued at $19,143,190.08. This trade represents a 4.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 208,299 shares of company stock valued at $34,948,265 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in Natera by 104.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Natera by 345.8% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in Natera by 34.3% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 372.9% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently 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.