Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Receives $197.59 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-two ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $194.8947.

NTRA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $195.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a report on Sunday, August 10th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Monday, September 22nd. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $175.00 price objective for the company. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $210.00 price objective (up from $190.00) on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, August 8th. Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of Natera from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $172.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 755 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Friday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $196.77, for a total value of $148,561.35. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 69,189 shares in the company, valued at $13,614,319.53. This trade represents a 1.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 292 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.95, for a total transaction of $54,881.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 117,267 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,040,332.65. The trade was a 0.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 57,374 shares of company stock valued at $9,108,022. 5.63% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kera Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new position in Natera in the 3rd quarter worth $219,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Natera in the third quarter valued at about $46,000. PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co purchased a new position in shares of Natera in the third quarter valued at about $290,000. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in shares of Natera by 10.1% in the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 11,174 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,803,000 after acquiring an additional 1,022 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Natera by 59.9% in the third quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,013 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $324,000 after acquiring an additional 754 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $192.22 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $171.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $160.71. Natera has a one year low of $117.27 and a one year high of $198.99. The company has a market cap of $26.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -100.64 and a beta of 1.74.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical research company reported ($0.74) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.60) by ($0.14). Natera had a negative net margin of 12.89% and a negative return on equity of 22.22%. The firm had revenue of $546.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $476.84 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.30) earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 32.2% on a year-over-year basis. Natera has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Natera will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.