FY2024 EPS Estimates for Natera Boosted by Leerink Partnrs

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) – Stock analysts at Leerink Partnrs boosted their FY2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Natera in a research report issued on Wednesday, November 13th. Leerink Partnrs analyst P. Souda now forecasts that the medical research company will post earnings of ($1.61) per share for the year, up from their previous forecast of ($1.83). The consensus estimate for Natera’s current full-year earnings is ($1.96) per share. Leerink Partnrs also issued estimates for Natera’s Q4 2024 earnings at ($0.49) EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at ($0.37) EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at ($0.32) EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at ($0.26) EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at ($0.18) EPS and FY2026 earnings at ($0.40) EPS.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on NTRA. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com cut Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday. UBS Group cut their price objective on Natera from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their target price on Natera from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Leerink Partners lifted their price target on Natera from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $137.65.

Natera Price Performance

Natera stock opened at $146.06 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 4.01 and a current ratio of 4.39. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $127.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $115.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.28 billion, a P/E ratio of -82.99 and a beta of 1.53. Natera has a 1 year low of $52.01 and a 1 year high of $167.79.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.57) by $0.31. The business had revenue of $439.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $361.43 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The business’s revenue was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.95) earnings per share.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NTRA. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Natera by 1,073.1% during the second quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 65,730 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $7,118,000 after buying an additional 60,127 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Natera by 15.1% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 74,460 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $6,810,000 after purchasing an additional 9,781 shares during the period. Natixis acquired a new stake in Natera in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $758,000. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC raised its position in Natera by 37.9% in the third quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC now owns 41,302 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $5,243,000 after purchasing an additional 11,362 shares during the period. Finally, Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft purchased a new stake in Natera in the second quarter valued at approximately $478,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 4,728 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.41, for a total transaction of $692,226.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 185,034 shares in the company, valued at $27,090,827.94. This trade represents a 2.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 2,614 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.68, for a total value of $333,755.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 7,969 shares in the company, valued at $1,017,481.92. This represents a 24.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 36,821 shares of company stock worth $4,776,878 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 7.60% 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.