Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Craig Hallum Analyst Says

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its price target lifted by Craig Hallum from $121.00 to $157.00 in a report published on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the medical research company’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on NTRA. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Leerink Partners lifted their target price on shares of Natera from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $137.65.

Natera Stock Down 3.3 %

NTRA opened at $146.06 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $127.38 and a 200-day moving average of $115.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -82.99 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a current ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 4.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. Natera has a 1-year low of $52.01 and a 1-year high of $167.79.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.57) by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $439.80 million during 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 business’s revenue was up 63.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.95) EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Natera will post -1.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 2,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.57, for a total value of $344,439.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 284,741 shares in the company, valued at $36,324,409.37. The trade was a 0.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,024 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.48, for a total value of $645,483.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 195,686 shares in the company, valued at $25,141,737.28. The trade was a 2.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 36,821 shares of company stock valued at $4,776,878 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

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