Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Price Target Raised to $363.50

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its price target raised by Piper Sandler from $249.00 to $363.50 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the medical research company’s stock.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, June 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $245.00 price objective on the stock. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Natera from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $340.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, August 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Natera from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group set a $375.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $319.38.

Natera Stock Performance

Natera stock opened at $309.93 on Wednesday. Natera has a 52 week low of $156.71 and a 52 week high of $326.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.67 billion, a P/E ratio of -227.89 and a beta of 1.51. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $263.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $226.40.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The medical research company reported ($0.47) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.49) by $0.02. Natera had a negative return on equity of 11.38% and a negative net margin of 7.11%.The business had revenue of $752.75 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $661.24 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.74) EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 37.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Natera will post -1.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider John Fesko sold 295 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $267.99, for a total transaction of $79,057.05. Following the sale, the insider owned 183,774 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,249,594.26. This trade represents a 0.16% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 478 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.22, for a total transaction of $131,077.16. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 51,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,159,898.14. This represents a 0.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 181,045 shares of company stock worth $41,330,968. Insiders own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Natera

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. Trust Co. of Vermont bought a new position in shares of Natera in the second quarter worth about $26,000. Reflection Asset Management bought a new position in Natera in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Natera in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Palladiem LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Horizon Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the third quarter worth $32,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.