Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock Price Expected to Rise, UBS Group Analyst Says

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its price target hoisted by research analysts at UBS Group from $211.00 to $218.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the medical research company’s stock. UBS Group’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 44.38% from the company’s current price.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Thursday, March 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $251.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price objective 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 issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $181.82.

Natera Stock Performance

NTRA opened at $150.99 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $147.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $155.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 4.23. The firm has a market cap of $20.41 billion, a P/E ratio of -85.79 and a beta of 1.79. Natera has a 1-year low of $92.14 and a 1-year high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.50) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.59) by $0.09. The company had revenue of $501.83 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $446.68 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. Natera’s quarterly revenue was up 36.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.56) EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Natera will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other news, insider John Fesko sold 343 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.55, for a total transaction of $49,923.65. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 156,946 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,843,490.30. The trade was a 0.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.69, for a total value of $590,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 9,704 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,433,183.76. The trade was a 29.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 152,436 shares of company stock worth $22,019,079. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 50.3% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 657 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $104,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. SeaBridge Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,894,000. SYM FINANCIAL Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Natera in the 4th quarter worth approximately $256,000. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 753.8% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 27,551 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $4,361,000 after purchasing an additional 24,324 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in Natera by 1,328.0% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 357 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 332 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.