Morgan Stanley Cuts Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Price Target to $250.00

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its price objective cut by Morgan Stanley from $265.00 to $250.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the medical research company’s stock.

NTRA has been the subject of several other research reports. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Natera from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. BTIG Research increased their price objective on Natera from $230.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Stephens lifted their target price on Natera from $197.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Natera from $205.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $253.47.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of Natera stock opened at $197.14 on Tuesday. Natera has a one year low of $125.38 and a one year high of $256.36. The company has a market cap of $27.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -128.85 and a beta of 1.65. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $223.82 and its 200 day moving average price is $204.71.

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

Insider Transactions at Natera

In related news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 6,939 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.83, for a total transaction of $1,580,912.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 52,120 shares in the company, valued at $11,874,499.60. This trade represents a 11.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.85, for a total transaction of $599,550.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 150,023 shares in the company, valued at $29,982,096.55. This trade represents a 1.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 363,303 shares of company stock worth $84,523,079 over the last quarter. 5.63% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Natera

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new position in Natera during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Palladiem LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Horizon Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the third quarter worth $32,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust increased its holdings in Natera by 103.8% in 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 raised its stake in 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 in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.