Brokerages Set Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Price Target at $249.20

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $249.20.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on NTRA shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Natera from $220.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 1st. BTIG Research boosted their price target on Natera from $230.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Natera from $190.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Natera in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Herm Rosenman sold 48,419 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.42, for a total transaction of $11,011,448.98. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 20,342 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,626,177.64. This trade represents a 70.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 23,205 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.74, for a total value of $5,447,141.70. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 144,992 shares in the company, valued at $34,035,422.08. This represents a 13.80% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 455,899 shares of company stock worth $106,475,440. Insiders own 5.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 44.3% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,625,785 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,795,125,000 after buying an additional 3,263,822 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Natera in the second quarter worth about $277,749,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 37.5% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,665,013 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $428,987,000 after acquiring an additional 727,366 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 39.0% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,400,065 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $386,338,000 after purchasing an additional 673,315 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC increased its position in Natera by 215.7% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 527,942 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $84,983,000 after purchasing an additional 360,733 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Natera

Here are the key news stories impacting Natera this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Natera submitted a Premarket Approval (PMA) to the FDA for Signatera CDx to detect minimal residual disease (MRD) in bladder cancer after positive phase‑3 results — a regulatory win that could create a companion diagnostic revenue stream and improve clinical adoption/reimbursement if approved. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple non‑executive insiders also sold shares this week (Solomon Moshkevich and John Fesko each trimmed small single‑digit percentages of their holdings). These appear to be modest, routine dispositions versus strategic exits but add to selling pressure. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Steven Chapman sold 85,299 shares on Feb 2 (~40% reduction in his holding) for a proceeds block of roughly $19.7M — a material insider disposition that investors often view negatively. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Additional executive sales this week: CEO Chapman sold another 4,725 shares (Feb 3) and CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 6,939 shares (Feb 3), each trimming double‑digit or mid‑single digit ownership percentages — reinforcing near‑term downward pressure on the stock. Read More. Read More.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of Natera stock opened at $205.61 on Monday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $234.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $195.74. Natera has a 1 year low of $125.38 and a 1 year high of $256.36. The company has a market capitalization of $28.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -89.79 and a beta of 1.64.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 7th. The medical research company reported ($0.64) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.39) by ($0.25). The company had revenue of $592.18 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $514.55 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.61% and a negative return on equity of 25.07%. Natera’s revenue for the quarter was up 34.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.26) earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Natera will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Natera Company Profile

Natera is a global diagnostics company that develops and commercializes cell-free DNA and other genetic testing technologies for clinical applications. The company focuses on three principal areas: reproductive health (including non-invasive prenatal testing and carrier screening), oncology (tumor-informed assays for minimal residual disease and recurrence monitoring), and organ transplantation (cell-free DNA tests to detect allograft injury). Natera combines laboratory testing, proprietary bioinformatics, and clinical reporting to deliver personalized genetic information to clinicians and patients.

Key product offerings include Panorama, a non-invasive prenatal test that screens for fetal chromosomal abnormalities and select single-gene conditions; Horizon carrier screening for inherited conditions; Signatera, a personalized, tumor-informed assay used for detecting minimal residual disease and monitoring treatment response in cancer patients; and Prospera, a donor-derived cell-free DNA test used to assess the risk of organ rejection.