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

Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $267.8333.

Several brokerages have weighed in on NTRA. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Natera from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. William Blair started coverage on Natera in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. UBS Group set a $260.00 price target on Natera in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Natera from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $261.99 on Monday. Natera has a 12-month low of $131.81 and a 12-month high of $288.04. The company has a market capitalization of $37.52 billion, a P/E ratio of -160.73 and a beta of 1.51. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $240.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $221.50.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 41,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.03, for a total transaction of $9,089,637.72. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 108,743 shares in the company, valued at $24,035,465.29. This represents a 27.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.21, for a total transaction of $2,389,310.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 6,183 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,343,009.43. This represents a 64.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 167,171 shares of company stock valued at $37,239,209. 5.05% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 6.6% in the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,560 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $221,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in Natera by 68.3% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 4,552 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $644,000 after purchasing an additional 1,847 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its holdings in Natera by 8.6% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 5,993 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $847,000 after buying an additional 474 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Natera during the 2nd quarter worth $298,000. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in Natera during the 2nd quarter worth $558,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Natera

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.