Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Given Average Rating of “Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) have received a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the fourteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $86.40.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Craig Hallum started coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Monday, April 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $117.00 price objective on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on shares of Natera from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $78.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Natera from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $120.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Raymond James downgraded shares of Natera from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $68.00 to $85.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other Natera news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 447 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.22, for a total value of $40,328.34. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 347,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,372,290.82. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 3,235 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.09, for a total transaction of $210,566.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 92,927 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,048,618.43. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 447 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.22, for a total value of $40,328.34. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 347,731 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,372,290.82. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 448,782 shares of company stock valued at $36,150,651 over the last 90 days. 9.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. RiverPark Advisors LLC bought a new position in Natera during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new position in Natera during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in Natera during the third quarter worth $44,000. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group lifted its stake in Natera by 109.3% during the fourth quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group now owns 745 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 389 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its stake in Natera by 224.4% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,317 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 911 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Natera Price Performance

NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $88.61 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $10.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -23.38 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a current ratio of 4.10, a quick ratio of 3.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The company’s 50-day moving average is $86.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.49. Natera has a 12-month low of $36.90 and a 12-month high of $98.82.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 28th. The medical research company reported ($0.64) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.73) by $0.09. The business had revenue of $311.11 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $300.38 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 40.16% and a negative return on equity of 62.19%. Research analysts expect that Natera will post -2.35 EPS for the current year.

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.