Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Given New $160.00 Price Target at Robert W. Baird

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its price target increased by Robert W. Baird from $120.00 to $160.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. Robert W. Baird currently has an outperform rating on the medical research company’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on NTRA. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Natera from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on Natera from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $150.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Leerink Partners increased their price target on shares of Natera from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Natera presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $137.65.

Natera Stock Down 3.3 %

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

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.57) by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $439.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $361.43 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.95) earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Natera will post -1.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 4,728 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 185,034 shares in the company, valued at $27,090,827.94. This represents a 2.49 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 2,614 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.68, for a total value of $333,755.52. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 7,969 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,017,481.92. The trade was a 24.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 36,821 shares of company stock worth $4,776,878. 7.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new position in Natera in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Quarry LP raised its position in shares of Natera by 148.4% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 318 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 50.0% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 324 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its position in Natera by 34.3% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in Natera during the 3rd quarter valued at about $57,000. Hedge funds and other 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.