Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Price Target Cut to $403.00 by Analysts at Robert W. Baird

Key Points

• Robert W. Baird cut its Natera price target from $458 to $403 but maintained an “outperform” rating, implying 29.72% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive: Natera has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $394.31.
• Natera’s latest quarterly revenue rose 34.1% year over year to $793.98 million, topping estimates, while EPS of -$0.42 missed the consensus estimate of -$0.28.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) had its price target dropped by research analysts at Robert W. Baird from $458.00 to $403.00 in a research report issued on Monday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "outperform" rating on the medical research company's stock. Robert W. Baird's price objective points to a potential upside of 29.72% from the stock's previous close.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on NTRA. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $340.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $375.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, October 19th. Stephens boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $305.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Natera from $355.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn assumed coverage on Natera in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $385.00 price target for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $394.31.

Natera Price Performance

NASDAQ NTRA opened at $310.67 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $44.78 billion, a PE ratio of -272.52 and a beta of 1.55. Natera has a 52 week low of $181.00 and a 52 week high of $437.41. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $380.25 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $269.68.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The medical research company reported ($0.42) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.28) by ($0.14). Natera had a negative return on equity of 8.73% and a negative net margin of 5.66%. The business had revenue of $793.98 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $707.54 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.64) EPS. Natera's revenue for the quarter was up 34.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Natera will post -1.14 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Michael Brophy sold 1,906 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $425.55, for a total transaction of $811,098.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 46,574 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,819,565.70. The trade was a 3.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Steven Chapman sold 3,801 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $411.80, for a total transaction of $1,565,251.80. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 87,431 shares in the company, valued at $36,004,085.80. This trade represents a 4.17% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 47,056 shares of company stock worth $17,760,989. 5.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. IFG Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Natera in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Bellwether Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,958,000. Danske Bank A S grew its position in shares of Natera by 11.9% in the 3rd quarter. Danske Bank A S now owns 68,602 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $28,354,000 after buying an additional 7,300 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co increased its stake in shares of Natera by 81.4% during the third quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 2,353 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $973,000 after buying an additional 1,056 shares during the period. Finally, Aberdeen Group plc increased its stake in shares of Natera by 26,462.7% during the third quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 1,398,794 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $578,136,000 after buying an additional 1,393,528 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

About Natera

Natera, Inc is a diagnostics company that develops and provides genetic testing and molecular diagnostics for reproductive health, oncology and organ health. Its tests analyze cell-free DNA and other genetic material to support screening, diagnosis and disease monitoring.

In reproductive health, Natera offers Panorama, a noninvasive prenatal screening test, and Horizon, a carrier screening test. Its oncology portfolio includes Signatera, a personalized circulating tumor DNA test used to monitor for molecular residual disease and assess cancer recurrence.

The company also provides Prospera, a molecular test used to help assess organ transplant rejection.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.