Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Price Target Raised to $190.00

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its target price hoisted by Barclays from $160.00 to $190.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the medical research company’s stock.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on NTRA. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. StockNews.com raised shares of Natera from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, February 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $181.82.

Natera Trading Down 7.1%

NASDAQ NTRA opened at $150.99 on Friday. Natera has a 52 week low of $92.14 and a 52 week high of $183.00. The stock has a market cap of $20.41 billion, a P/E ratio of -85.79 and a beta of 1.79. The company has a current ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $147.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $155.90.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.50) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.59) by $0.09. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The business had revenue of $501.83 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $446.68 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.56) earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 36.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Natera will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In related news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 6,000 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.29, for a total value of $859,740.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 143,768 shares in the company, valued at $20,600,516.72. This trade represents a 4.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 87,272 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total value of $12,514,804.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 203,354 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,160,963.60. This trade represents a 30.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 152,436 shares of company stock worth $22,019,079. Insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Natera

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in shares of Natera during the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in Natera by 104.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Natera by 117.8% in the first quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 220 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the period. Finally, ORG Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera in the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.