The Goldman Sachs Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its price objective upped by equities research analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from $160.00 to $190.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the medical research company’s stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 12.95% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on NTRA. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on Natera from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Natera from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $165.88.

Natera Price Performance

NTRA opened at $168.22 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $22.21 billion, a P/E ratio of -95.58 and a beta of 1.65. Natera has a 12 month low of $64.74 and a 12 month high of $183.00. The company has a quick ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $166.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $137.43.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.57) by $0.31. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The company had revenue of $439.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $361.43 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($0.95) earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Natera will post -1.56 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 4,728 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.41, for a total value of $692,226.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 185,034 shares in the company, valued at $27,090,827.94. The trade was a 2.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Roelof Botha sold 87,473 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.12, for a total value of $14,793,433.76. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,224,787 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,135,977.44. This trade represents a 6.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 241,680 shares of company stock worth $40,102,873. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Natera by 205.4% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,800,263 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $355,493,000 after buying an additional 1,883,481 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Natera by 3.6% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,482,818 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $315,194,000 after purchasing an additional 85,236 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Natera by 7.4% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,090,480 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $265,747,000 after purchasing an additional 143,825 shares during the last quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Natera by 25.2% in the 3rd quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. now owns 1,340,045 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $170,119,000 after purchasing an additional 269,706 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of Natera by 25.0% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,229,558 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $156,092,000 after purchasing an additional 246,246 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

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.