Analysts Set Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Target Price at $120.07

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) has earned an average rating of “Buy” from the fifteen analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $120.07.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Natera from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. BTIG Research lifted their target price on Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. TD Cowen upped their price target on Natera from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Monday, June 3rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $142.00 target price on the stock.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NTRA opened at $123.85 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $15.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -39.70 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a quick ratio of 4.01, a current ratio of 4.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The business’s 50 day moving average is $115.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $106.26. Natera has a 52-week low of $36.90 and a 52-week high of $132.01.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.30) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.69) by $0.39. The firm had revenue of $413.35 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $343.00 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 21.47% and a negative return on equity of 36.74%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 58.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.97) earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Natera will post -1.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 2,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.87, for a total transaction of $293,949.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 301,808 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,857,836.96. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 37,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.10, for a total transaction of $4,053,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 213,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,063,243.10. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 2,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.87, for a total value of $293,949.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 301,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,857,836.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 93,921 shares of company stock valued at $10,551,281 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Natera during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its position in shares of Natera by 16.4% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 7,590 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $475,000 after acquiring an additional 1,071 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 13.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 8,689 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $544,000 after acquiring an additional 1,041 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the 4th quarter worth $83,970,000. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd raised its position in shares of Natera by 23.5% during the fourth quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 12,262 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $768,000 after purchasing an additional 2,332 shares during the period. 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.