Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Rating Increased to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

Several other analysts also recently commented on NTRA. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $300.00 target price for the company. Stephens upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $197.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Natera from $239.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Natera from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their target price on Natera from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.47.

Natera Price Performance

NTRA opened at $198.13 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $28.08 billion, a PE ratio of -129.50 and a beta of 1.65. Natera has a fifty-two week low of $125.38 and a fifty-two week high of $256.36. The business has a 50-day moving average of $223.11 and a 200-day moving average of $204.97.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.46) by $0.81. Natera had a negative return on equity of 15.28% and a negative net margin of 9.03%.The business had revenue of $665.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $600.68 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($0.41) EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Natera will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Natera news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 6,939 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.83, for a total value of $1,580,912.37. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 52,120 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,874,499.60. The trade was a 11.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider John Fesko sold 3,594 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $231.02, for a total value of $830,285.88. Following the transaction, the insider owned 178,081 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $41,140,272.62. This trade represents a 1.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 363,303 shares of company stock worth $84,523,079. Corporate insiders own 5.63% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new stake in Natera in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Palladiem LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Horizon Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the third quarter valued at about $32,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust raised its position in shares of Natera by 103.8% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 163 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 95.7% in the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 225 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Natera Company Profile

Natera is a global diagnostics company that develops and commercializes cell-free DNA and other genetic testing technologies for clinical applications. The company focuses on three principal areas: reproductive health (including non-invasive prenatal testing and carrier screening), oncology (tumor-informed assays for minimal residual disease and recurrence monitoring), and organ transplantation (cell-free DNA tests to detect allograft injury). Natera combines laboratory testing, proprietary bioinformatics, and clinical reporting to deliver personalized genetic information to clinicians and patients.

Key product offerings include Panorama, a non-invasive prenatal test that screens for fetal chromosomal abnormalities and select single-gene conditions; Horizon carrier screening for inherited conditions; Signatera, a personalized, tumor-informed assay used for detecting minimal residual disease and monitoring treatment response in cancer patients; and Prospera, a donor-derived cell-free DNA test used to assess the risk of organ rejection.