Analysts Set Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Target Price at $319.38

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $319.3750.

NTRA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $290.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, July 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $315.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, June 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $310.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Natera from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 3,076 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.39, for a total value of $819,415.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 99,897 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,611,561.83. The trade was a 2.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a 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 stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.22, for a total value of $131,077.16. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 51,637 shares in the company, valued at $14,159,898.14. This represents a 0.92% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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. Insiders have sold a total of 177,955 shares of company stock valued at $40,704,193 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Natera

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of NTRA. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its position in Natera by 6.6% during the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,560 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $221,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Natera by 68.3% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 4,552 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $644,000 after buying an additional 1,847 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth increased its holdings in Natera by 8.6% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 5,993 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $847,000 after buying an additional 474 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $298,000. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $558,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Natera Trading Up 2.7%

NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $336.71 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $278.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $231.01. The stock has a market cap of $48.53 billion, a P/E ratio of -247.58 and a beta of 1.51. Natera has a 1-year low of $157.43 and a 1-year high of $337.12.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The medical research company reported ($0.47) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.49) by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $752.75 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $661.24 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 11.38% and a negative net margin of 7.11%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 37.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.74) EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Natera will post -1.02 EPS for the current year.

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.