JPMorgan Chase & Co. Boosts Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Price Target to $160.00

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its price objective boosted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $135.00 to $160.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the medical research company’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price target would indicate a potential upside of 5.88% from the company’s previous close.

NTRA has been the subject of several other research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Natera from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Natera from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. BTIG Research raised their target price on Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, August 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $137.65.

Natera Price Performance

NASDAQ NTRA opened at $151.11 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $126.71 and a 200-day simple moving average of $115.09. Natera has a 52-week low of $52.01 and a 52-week high of $167.79. 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 results on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.57) by $0.31. The business 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%. Natera’s revenue for the quarter was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.95) earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Natera will post -1.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,024 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.48, for a total value of $645,483.52. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 195,686 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,141,737.28. The trade was a 2.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 2,614 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now owns 7,969 shares in the company, valued at $1,017,481.92. This trade represents a 24.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 29,881 shares of company stock worth $3,733,983 over the last three months. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

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