Robert W. Baird Boosts Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Price Target to $160.00

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its target price increased by Robert W. Baird from $120.00 to $160.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the medical research company’s stock.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. StockNews.com raised Natera from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Natera from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Leerink Partners increased their target price on Natera from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on Natera from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $135.06.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA opened at $160.97 on Wednesday. Natera has a one year low of $49.97 and a one year high of $167.79. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $126.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $114.84. The company has a market capitalization of $19.91 billion, a P/E ratio of -91.46 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 4.14 and a quick ratio of 4.01.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.57) by $0.31. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.88% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The company had revenue of $439.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $361.43 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.95) earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Natera will post -1.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 1,196 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.21, for a total value of $141,379.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 110,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,085,255.95. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 1,196 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.21, for a total transaction of $141,379.16. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 110,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,085,255.95. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,024 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.48, for a total value of $645,483.52. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 195,686 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,141,737.28. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 29,881 shares of company stock valued at $3,733,983. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. Farallon Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Natera by 13.6% in the 2nd quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 4,460,557 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $483,034,000 after buying an additional 532,874 shares during the last quarter. First Light Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Natera by 295.9% during the first quarter. First Light Asset Management LLC now owns 656,708 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $60,063,000 after acquiring an additional 490,822 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Natera by 257.6% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 651,523 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $70,553,000 after acquiring an additional 469,327 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in Natera by 53.6% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 958,383 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $103,783,000 after acquiring an additional 334,630 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in Natera by 311.9% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 406,653 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $44,036,000 after acquiring an additional 307,920 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Natera

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.