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

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Buy” by the fifteen analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $120.07.

NTRA has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com lowered Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Natera from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Natera in a research report on Monday, June 3rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $142.00 price objective for the company. BTIG Research lifted their price objective on Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Natera from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th.

Natera Stock Performance

Natera stock opened at $118.26 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 4.12 and a quick ratio of 3.98. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $111.03 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $100.42. Natera has a 52-week low of $36.90 and a 52-week high of $124.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.52 billion, a P/E ratio of -37.90 and a beta of 1.48.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.30) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.69) by $0.39. Natera had a negative return on equity of 49.72% and a negative net margin of 30.24%. The company had revenue of $413.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $343.00 million. During the same period last year, the company posted ($0.97) earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 58.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Natera will post -2.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 2,700 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.66, for a total transaction of $296,082.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 304,508 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,392,347.28. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 2,700 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.66, for a total transaction of $296,082.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 304,508 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,392,347.28. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 499 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.40, for a total value of $53,592.60. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 77,418 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,314,693.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 92,388 shares of company stock worth $10,205,064 in the last 90 days. 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 company. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Quarry LP increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 148.4% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 318 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 50.0% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 324 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Finally, YHB Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. 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.