Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Raised to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Thursday.

NTRA has been the topic of a number of other research reports. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Natera from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Natera from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, August 9th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their target price on shares of Natera from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $124.44.

Natera Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA opened at $122.40 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 4.01, a current ratio of 4.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company has a market cap of $15.03 billion, a P/E ratio of -39.23 and a beta of 1.53. Natera has a 52 week low of $36.90 and a 52 week high of $133.54. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $123.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $110.49.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.30) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.69) by $0.39. The company had revenue of $413.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $343.00 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 21.47% and a negative return on equity of 36.74%. Natera’s revenue was up 58.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned ($0.97) earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Natera will post -1.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.01, for a total transaction of $1,452,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 287,441 shares in the company, valued at $34,783,235.41. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,583 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.91, for a total value of $663,874.53. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 200,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,866,426.10. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.01, for a total value of $1,452,120.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 287,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $34,783,235.41. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 50,765 shares of company stock valued at $6,016,700. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Natera by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,971,895 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $687,280,000 after acquiring an additional 588,147 shares in the last quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the first quarter valued at approximately $251,000. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise grew its stake in Natera by 6.6% in the first quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 7,235 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $662,000 after purchasing an additional 451 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its holdings in Natera by 17.5% in the first quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 5,368 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $491,000 after purchasing an additional 799 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Natera by 25.0% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,776 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $528,000 after buying an additional 1,155 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.