Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Canaccord Genuity Group Analyst Says

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its target price raised by stock analysts at Canaccord Genuity Group from $165.00 to $180.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the medical research company’s stock. Canaccord Genuity Group’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 7.40% from the stock’s previous close.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Natera from $150.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Leerink Partners lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Natera from $132.00 to $176.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Natera currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $153.67.

Natera Stock Up 4.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $167.60 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $155.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $129.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 4.23. Natera has a 1 year low of $58.53 and a 1 year high of $175.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.13 billion, a PE ratio of -95.23 and a beta of 1.65.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.57) by $0.31. The company had revenue of $439.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $361.43 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 63.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.95) EPS. Analysts predict that Natera will post -1.61 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In related news, insider John Fesko sold 669 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.60, for a total transaction of $106,772.40. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 114,142 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,217,063.20. This trade represents a 0.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 256 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.07, for a total value of $30,737.92. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 111,891 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,434,752.37. This represents a 0.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 127,932 shares of company stock worth $20,635,430. 7.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 6.4% during the second quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 24,584 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $2,662,000 after purchasing an additional 1,486 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Natera by 20.8% in the second quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 3,366 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $365,000 after acquiring an additional 580 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in shares of Natera by 4.1% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 139,030 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $15,056,000 after acquiring an additional 5,490 shares during the period. TD Asset Management Inc purchased a new position in Natera during the second quarter worth about $1,235,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Natera by 234.9% in the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 302,728 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $32,782,000 after purchasing an additional 212,322 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.