Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Price Target Raised to $205.00 at Piper Sandler

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its price objective hoisted by Piper Sandler from $200.00 to $205.00 in a report issued on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the medical research company’s stock.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Craig Hallum boosted their price objective on shares of Natera from $121.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Barclays assumed coverage on Natera in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com downgraded Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Natera has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $173.56.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NTRA opened at $141.50 on Tuesday. 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 firm has a market cap of $18.68 billion, a PE ratio of -80.40 and a beta of 1.66. Natera has a 12 month low of $83.13 and a 12 month high of $183.00. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $166.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $147.63.

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

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other news, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.77, for a total transaction of $117,861.51. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 156,044 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,739,941.88. This trade represents a 0.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 43,502 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.88, for a total transaction of $7,694,633.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 70,629 shares in the company, valued at $12,492,857.52. The trade was a 38.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 208,299 shares of company stock worth $34,948,265. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Principal Securities Inc. increased 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 purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 2,963 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $470,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in Natera by 34.3% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC boosted its position in Natera by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 1,325 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $210,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.