Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Raised to Hold at StockNews.com

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) was upgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Craig Hallum upped their price target on shares of Natera from $121.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $173.56.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NTRA opened at $144.50 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $164.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $148.28. Natera has a 12 month low of $83.13 and a 12 month 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. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -82.10 and a beta of 1.80.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its 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. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The business had revenue of $476.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $447.91 million. Research analysts forecast that Natera will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In related news, insider John Fesko sold 669 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.60, for a total transaction of $106,772.40. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 114,142 shares in the company, valued at $18,217,063.20. This trade represents a 0.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $12,958,888.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 267,629 shares in the company, valued at $44,150,756.13. This represents a 22.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 294,946 shares of company stock valued at $47,212,702. 7.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NTRA. LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 104.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 345.8% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Natera by 372.9% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 261 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. grew its position in Natera by 20.7% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.