Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Upgraded at StockNews.com

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) was upgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Thursday.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Leerink Partners increased their target price on shares of Natera from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Natera from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Natera from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Natera from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $124.44.

Natera Trading Down 3.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA traded down $4.42 during trading on Thursday, reaching $122.35. 734,835 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,341,279. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 4.14 and a quick ratio of 4.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.02 billion, a PE ratio of -39.21 and a beta of 1.53. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $122.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $110.07. Natera has a 12-month low of $36.90 and a 12-month high of $133.54.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued 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 36.74% and a negative net margin of 21.47%. The business had revenue of $413.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $343.00 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.97) EPS. Natera’s revenue was up 58.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Natera will post -1.96 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 2,638 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.16, for a total value of $277,412.08. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 210,377 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,123,245.32. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 2,638 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.16, for a total transaction of $277,412.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 210,377 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,123,245.32. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 499 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.40, for a total transaction of $53,592.60. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 77,418 shares in the company, valued at $8,314,693.20. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 50,765 shares of company stock worth $6,016,700. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Natera by 0.7% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,044,743 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,010,152,000 after purchasing an additional 72,848 shares in the last quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Natera by 13.6% during the 2nd quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 4,460,557 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $483,034,000 after buying an additional 532,874 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in shares of Natera by 6.6% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,397,582 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $259,634,000 after buying an additional 148,917 shares in the last quarter. Duquesne Family Office LLC lifted its position 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 valued at $213,860,000 after buying an additional 45,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Driehaus Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Natera by 14.6% in the 2nd quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 1,220,768 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $132,197,000 after acquiring an additional 155,802 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.