Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Given Average Rating of “Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) have been given an average rating of “Buy” by the sixteen analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $175.76.

NTRA has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Guggenheim raised their target price on Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, February 28th. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th.

Natera Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $148.45 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $152.09 and a 200-day moving average price of $152.40. The stock has a market cap of $20.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -84.35 and a beta of 1.80. Natera has a 52-week low of $83.13 and a 52-week 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.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.01. The business had revenue of $476.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $447.91 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. Equities analysts predict that Natera will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 792 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.04, for a total transaction of $115,663.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 71,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,495,748.76. This represents a 1.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.77, for a total transaction of $117,861.51. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 156,044 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,739,941.88. This represents a 0.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 325,922 shares of company stock worth $51,603,664 over the last quarter. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Natera

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Natera by 104.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Natera by 345.8% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 372.9% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of Natera by 20.7% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

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.