TD Cowen Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its price objective lifted by equities researchers at TD Cowen from $155.00 to $175.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the medical research company’s stock. TD Cowen’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 15.81% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Natera from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Natera from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. Leerink Partners boosted their target price on Natera from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on Natera from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $137.65.

Natera Stock Performance

NASDAQ NTRA opened at $151.11 on Wednesday. Natera has a 52 week low of $52.01 and a 52 week high of $167.79. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $126.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $115.09. The company has a current ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 4.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.57) by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $439.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $361.43 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. Natera’s revenue for the quarter was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.95) earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Natera will post -1.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,024 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.48, for a total value of $645,483.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 195,686 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,141,737.28. The trade was a 2.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 2,614 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.68, for a total transaction of $333,755.52. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 7,969 shares in the company, valued at $1,017,481.92. This represents a 24.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 29,881 shares of company stock worth $3,733,983 over the last ninety days. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 1,073.1% in the 2nd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 65,730 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $7,118,000 after purchasing an additional 60,127 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 15.1% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 74,460 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $6,810,000 after buying an additional 9,781 shares during the period. Natixis purchased a new position in Natera in the 1st quarter worth approximately $758,000. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC grew its position in Natera by 37.9% in the third quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC now owns 41,302 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $5,243,000 after acquiring an additional 11,362 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft acquired a new position in Natera in the 2nd quarter worth $478,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.