Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Sanford C. Bernstein

Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) to a strong-buy rating in a research note released on Thursday morning,Zacks.com reports.

NTRA has been the subject of several other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Natera from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen cut Natera from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. William Blair began coverage on Natera in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Natera in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $260.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on Natera from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Natera currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $259.22.

Natera Stock Performance

NTRA stock opened at $261.91 on Thursday. Natera has a one year low of $131.81 and a one year high of $271.47. The firm has a market cap of $37.51 billion, a PE ratio of -160.68 and a beta of 1.56. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $212.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $215.87.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In related news, Director Herm Rosenman sold 16,530 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $4,132,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,250 shares in the company, valued at $1,062,500. The trade was a 79.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 11,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $217.21, for a total transaction of $2,389,310.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 6,183 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,343,009.43. The trade was a 64.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 178,872 shares of company stock valued at $39,415,896 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Natera

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new position in Natera during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Palladiem LLC acquired a new position in Natera in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Horizon Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Natera in the third quarter valued at about $32,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 132.9% in the first quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 170 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Jackson Hole Trust boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 103.8% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 163 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

About Natera

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.