JPMorgan Chase & Co. Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its price objective boosted by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $250.00 to $260.00 in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the medical research company’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price indicates a potential upside of 13.32% from the company’s previous close.

NTRA has been the subject of a number of other reports. UBS Group increased their target price on Natera from $218.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $268.00 price objective on Natera and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Natera from $220.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Zacks Research cut shares of Natera from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Finally, BTIG Research increased their price objective on shares of Natera from $230.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Natera has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $229.12.

Natera Trading Down 1.1%

NASDAQ:NTRA traded down $2.52 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $229.43. 604,704 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,434,902. The firm has a market cap of $31.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -100.15 and a beta of 1.63. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $206.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $176.74. Natera has a fifty-two week low of $125.38 and a fifty-two week high of $246.90.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The medical research company reported ($0.64) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.39) by ($0.25). Natera had a negative net margin of 14.61% and a negative return on equity of 25.07%. The business had revenue of $592.18 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $514.55 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.26) earnings per share. Natera’s revenue was up 34.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Natera will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Roy D. Baynes sold 7,668 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.08, for a total value of $1,710,577.44. Following the transaction, the director owned 18,359 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,095,525.72. This trade represents a 29.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Roelof Botha sold 75,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.12, for a total value of $17,709,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 1,154,198 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $272,529,231.76. This trade represents a 6.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 312,053 shares of company stock valued at $64,527,735. Corporate insiders own 5.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Natera

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in shares of Natera by 56.3% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 10,537,743 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,490,144,000 after purchasing an additional 3,795,315 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Natera by 44.3% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,625,785 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,795,125,000 after acquiring an additional 3,263,822 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Natera during the second quarter valued at approximately $277,749,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake in Natera by 140.4% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,253,790 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $177,298,000 after purchasing an additional 732,156 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Natera by 37.5% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,665,013 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $428,987,000 after buying an additional 727,366 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.