Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Barclays

Barclays began coverage on shares of Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm issued an overweight rating and a $200.00 target price on the medical research company’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on NTRA. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Natera from $150.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on Natera from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Craig Hallum boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $121.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Leerink Partners increased their price objective 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. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $162.94.

Natera Price Performance

Natera stock opened at $171.82 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $165.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $135.41. Natera has a 12 month low of $62.96 and a 12 month high of $183.00. 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 has a market capitalization of $22.68 billion, a PE ratio of -97.63 and a beta of 1.65.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.57) by $0.31. The company 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 63.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.95) EPS. Analysts expect that Natera will post -1.61 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other Natera news, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 1,767 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.24, for a total value of $300,814.08. Following the sale, the director now owns 6,202 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,055,828.48. This represents a 22.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 25,931 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total transaction of $4,277,837.07. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 109,665 shares in the company, valued at $18,091,435.05. This represents a 19.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 224,133 shares of company stock valued at $36,830,652. 7.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Natera by 104.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP raised its position in shares of Natera by 148.4% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 318 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 345.8% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd grew its stake in Natera by 34.3% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Natera by 32.7% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 430 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 106 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.