Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Given Consensus Rating of “Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) have earned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the sixteen research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $170.94.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on NTRA. StockNews.com lowered Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Natera from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $132.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Roelof Botha sold 87,473 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.12, for a total value of $14,793,433.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,224,787 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,135,977.44. This represents a 6.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider John Fesko sold 669 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.60, for a total transaction of $106,772.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 114,142 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,217,063.20. The trade was a 0.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 295,772 shares of company stock worth $49,741,699. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NTRA. Creative Planning lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 18.3% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 5,833 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $740,000 after acquiring an additional 904 shares during the last quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Natera by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,646 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $336,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in Natera by 25.0% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,229,558 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $156,092,000 after purchasing an additional 246,246 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 5.2% during the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 2,721 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $346,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lecap Asset Management Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 8.2% during the third quarter. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. now owns 7,003 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $889,000 after purchasing an additional 531 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA opened at $162.31 on Monday. 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 business’s 50 day moving average price is $167.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $145.85. The company has a market cap of $21.43 billion, a PE ratio of -92.22 and a beta of 1.66. Natera has a twelve month low of $69.74 and a twelve month high of $183.00.

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.