Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Price Target Raised to $180.00

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its target price raised by stock analysts at Canaccord Genuity Group from $165.00 to $180.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the medical research company’s stock. Canaccord Genuity Group’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 9.20% from the company’s previous close.

NTRA has been the subject of several other reports. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Natera from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Leerink Partners increased their price objective on Natera from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Natera currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $153.67.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NTRA stock traded up $4.23 during trading on Friday, hitting $164.83. The company had a trading volume of 266,515 shares, compared to its average volume of 522,569. Natera has a 52 week low of $58.53 and a 52 week high of $175.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -93.65 and a beta of 1.63. 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 50-day moving average is $154.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $129.44.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Natera news, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 1,767 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.24, for a total value of $300,814.08. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 6,202 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,055,828.48. The trade was a 22.17 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider John Fesko sold 669 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.60, for a total transaction of $106,772.40. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 114,142 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,217,063.20. This trade represents a 0.58 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 127,932 shares of company stock worth $20,635,430. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 37.9% in the 3rd quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC now owns 41,302 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $5,243,000 after acquiring an additional 11,362 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 27.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 86,144 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $10,936,000 after purchasing an additional 18,316 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Natera in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $385,000. Jag Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Natera by 8.8% during the 3rd quarter. Jag Capital Management LLC now owns 175,590 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $22,291,000 after purchasing an additional 14,159 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Turn Management LLC purchased a new stake in Natera during the 3rd quarter valued at $19,760,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by 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.