Royal Bank of Canada Initiates Coverage on Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Analysts at Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on shares of Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) in a report released on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage set an “outperform” rating and a $251.00 price target on the medical research company’s stock. Royal Bank of Canada’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 69.34% from the company’s previous close.

NTRA has been the topic of several other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Natera from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $178.12.

Natera Trading Up 4.0 %

Shares of NTRA opened at $148.22 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $164.09 and its 200 day moving average price is $148.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.04 billion, a P/E ratio of -84.22 and a beta of 1.80. Natera has a 1-year low of $83.13 and a 1-year high of $183.00. The company has a current ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $447.91 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. Analysts expect that Natera will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.69, for a total value of $590,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 9,704 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,433,183.76. The trade was a 29.19 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total value of $12,958,888.41. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 267,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,150,756.13. This trade represents a 22.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 298,946 shares of company stock worth $47,803,462. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Cerity Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Natera by 27.0% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 86,144 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $10,936,000 after purchasing an additional 18,316 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the third quarter valued at approximately $385,000. Everence Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $573,000. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the third quarter valued at approximately $505,000. Finally, First Turn Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the third quarter valued at approximately $19,760,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.