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

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

NTRA has been the topic of several other research reports. Stephens reaffirmed an overweight rating and issued a $78.00 price target on shares of Natera in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Natera from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Craig Hallum initiated coverage on Natera in a research report on Monday, April 8th. They issued a buy rating and a $117.00 price target for the company. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Natera from $70.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group raised their target price on shares of Natera from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $86.40.

Natera Price Performance

NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $94.15 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 3.96, a current ratio of 4.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $89.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $68.74. Natera has a 52-week low of $36.90 and a 52-week high of $98.82. The firm has a market cap of $11.51 billion, a P/E ratio of -24.84 and a beta of 1.37.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 28th. The medical research company reported ($0.64) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.73) by $0.09. Natera had a negative net margin of 40.16% and a negative return on equity of 62.19%. The company had revenue of $311.11 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $300.38 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Natera will post -2.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.00, for a total value of $420,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 18,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,270,850. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 6,000 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.00, for a total transaction of $420,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 18,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,270,850. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 9,326 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.36, for a total value of $824,045.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 246,957 shares in the company, valued at $21,821,120.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 418,913 shares of company stock valued at $34,492,522 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 9.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Natera

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 28.6% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 720,160 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $45,111,000 after purchasing an additional 159,993 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC increased its position in Natera by 1,043.3% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 90,423 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $5,664,000 after buying an additional 82,514 shares during the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Natera by 101.2% during the fourth quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 145,996 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $9,058,000 after buying an additional 73,419 shares in the last quarter. abrdn plc acquired a new stake in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter worth about $3,214,000. Finally, Aigen Investment Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the 3rd quarter worth about $223,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.