Barclays Initiates Coverage on Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) in a report published on Thursday morning, Marketbeat reports. The firm issued an overweight rating and a $200.00 target price on the medical research company’s stock.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on NTRA. Craig Hallum upped their price target on shares of Natera from $121.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Natera from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. StockNews.com lowered Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price target on Natera from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $162.94.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA opened at $167.61 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 4.23. The business has a 50-day moving average of $166.20 and a 200-day moving average of $136.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -95.23 and a beta of 1.65. Natera has a fifty-two week low of $62.96 and a fifty-two week high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.57) by $0.31. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The firm had revenue of $439.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $361.43 million. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.95) earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Natera will post -1.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider John Fesko sold 669 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.60, for a total transaction of $106,772.40. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 114,142 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,217,063.20. The trade was a 0.58 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 946 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.98, for a total transaction of $162,693.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 109,474 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,827,338.52. The trade was a 0.86 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 249,940 shares of company stock worth $41,094,664 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 34.3% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in Natera by 104.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Natera by 32.7% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 430 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. increased its position in Natera by 12.0% in the 4th quarter. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. now owns 998 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $158,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. Finally, Salem Investment Counselors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Natera by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 16,280 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $2,577,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.