Brokerages Set Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Price Target at $160.63

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the seventeen ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $165.88.

A number of research firms have issued reports on NTRA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 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. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Natera from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $132.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $168.22 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $166.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $137.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 4.23. Natera has a fifty-two week low of $64.74 and a fifty-two week high of $183.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.21 billion, a P/E ratio of -95.58 and a beta of 1.65.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $439.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $361.43 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.95) earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Natera will post -1.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In related news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 946 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.98, for a total value of $162,693.08. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 109,474 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,827,338.52. The trade was a 0.86 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total value of $12,958,888.41. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 267,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,150,756.13. This trade represents a 22.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 241,680 shares of company stock valued at $40,102,873. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Natera by 205.4% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,800,263 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $355,493,000 after purchasing an additional 1,883,481 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in Natera by 3.6% in the 3rd 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 buying an additional 85,236 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Natera by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,090,480 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $265,747,000 after buying an additional 143,825 shares in the last quarter. Duquesne Family Office LLC boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Duquesne Family Office LLC now owns 1,974,880 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $213,860,000 after buying an additional 45,500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Maverick Capital Ltd. grew 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 acquiring an additional 269,706 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.