Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Upgraded to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Wednesday morning.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the company. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Natera from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Barclays began coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $178.12.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of Natera stock opened at $150.87 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $162.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $149.27. Natera has a 52 week low of $83.13 and a 52 week high of $183.00. The company has a market capitalization of $20.40 billion, a PE ratio of -85.72 and a beta of 1.80.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.42) by $0.01. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The firm had revenue of $476.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $447.91 million. As a group, analysts expect that Natera will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 1,026 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.04, for a total transaction of $149,837.04. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 144,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,143,963.28. The trade was a 0.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total value of $12,958,888.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 267,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,150,756.13. This trade represents a 22.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 307,466 shares of company stock valued at $49,047,655. Insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Natera by 20.7% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC grew its position in Natera by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 3,629 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $574,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated raised its stake in shares of Natera by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 2,963 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $470,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 1,325 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $210,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 104.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. 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.