TD Cowen Increases Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Price Target to $175.00

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its price target increased by research analysts at TD Cowen from $155.00 to $175.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the medical research company’s stock. TD Cowen’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 15.81% from the stock’s previous close.

NTRA has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Leerink Partners raised their target price on Natera from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. 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 report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Natera from $135.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Natera currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $137.65.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of Natera stock opened at $151.11 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $126.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $115.09. The company has a quick ratio of 4.01, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. Natera has a 52-week low of $52.01 and a 52-week high of $167.79.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.57) by $0.31. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The firm had revenue of $439.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $361.43 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.95) EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 63.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Natera will post -1.96 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 2,614 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.68, for a total transaction of $333,755.52. Following the sale, the director now owns 7,969 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,017,481.92. The trade was a 24.70 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,024 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.48, for a total value of $645,483.52. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 195,686 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,141,737.28. This trade represents a 2.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 29,881 shares of company stock worth $3,733,983. 7.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NTRA. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new position in Natera in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Quarry LP increased its stake in Natera by 148.4% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 318 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 50.0% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 324 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 34.3% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in Natera during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $57,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.