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

Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) have been given an average rating of “Buy” by the seventeen brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $162.94.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on NTRA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Natera from $132.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Craig Hallum raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $121.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 4,858 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.59, for a total value of $809,294.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 114,912 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,143,190.08. The trade was a 4.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider John Fesko sold 669 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.60, for a total value of $106,772.40. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 114,142 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,217,063.20. This trade represents a 0.58 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 243,546 shares of company stock worth $40,338,829. Insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Natera by 205.4% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,800,263 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $355,493,000 after purchasing an additional 1,883,481 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Natera by 257.6% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 651,523 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $70,553,000 after buying an additional 469,327 shares during the last quarter. PointState Capital LP increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 112.0% in the third quarter. PointState Capital LP now owns 782,538 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $99,343,000 after buying an additional 413,468 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 53.6% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 958,383 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $103,783,000 after acquiring an additional 334,630 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Natera by 42.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,099,335 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $144,958,000 after acquiring an additional 328,375 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Natera Price Performance

NTRA opened at $165.26 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $21.82 billion, a P/E ratio of -93.90 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a current ratio of 4.39. Natera has a fifty-two week low of $62.96 and a fifty-two week high of $183.00. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $166.43 and a 200 day moving average of $136.81.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.57) by $0.31. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The company had revenue of $439.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $361.43 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($0.95) EPS. Natera’s quarterly revenue was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Natera will post -1.56 EPS for the current year.

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.