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

Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $253.4667.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Natera from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Barclays boosted their target price on Natera from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Natera from $205.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd.

Natera Trading Down 2.9%

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA opened at $197.14 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $27.94 billion, a P/E ratio of -128.85 and a beta of 1.65. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $223.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $204.71. Natera has a twelve month low of $125.38 and a twelve month high of $256.36.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.46) by $0.81. Natera had a negative net margin of 9.03% and a negative return on equity of 15.28%. The firm had revenue of $665.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $600.68 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.41) EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Natera will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider John Fesko sold 3,594 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $231.02, for a total transaction of $830,285.88. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 178,081 shares in the company, valued at $41,140,272.62. The trade was a 1.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 6,939 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.83, for a total transaction of $1,580,912.37. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 52,120 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,874,499.60. The trade was a 11.75% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 363,303 shares of company stock worth $84,523,079 in the last ninety days. 5.63% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Horizon Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Natera by 22.0% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 244 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in Natera by 20.0% during the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 270 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. grew its position in Natera by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. now owns 1,541 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $353,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH increased its holdings in Natera by 3.1% in the third quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 1,804 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $290,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alamea Verwaltungs GmbH lifted its position in shares of Natera by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Alamea Verwaltungs GmbH now owns 2,229 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $515,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Company Profile

Natera is a global diagnostics company that develops and commercializes cell-free DNA and other genetic testing technologies for clinical applications. The company focuses on three principal areas: reproductive health (including non-invasive prenatal testing and carrier screening), oncology (tumor-informed assays for minimal residual disease and recurrence monitoring), and organ transplantation (cell-free DNA tests to detect allograft injury). Natera combines laboratory testing, proprietary bioinformatics, and clinical reporting to deliver personalized genetic information to clinicians and patients.

Key product offerings include Panorama, a non-invasive prenatal test that screens for fetal chromosomal abnormalities and select single-gene conditions; Horizon carrier screening for inherited conditions; Signatera, a personalized, tumor-informed assay used for detecting minimal residual disease and monitoring treatment response in cancer patients; and Prospera, a donor-derived cell-free DNA test used to assess the risk of organ rejection.