Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Price Target Raised to $500.00

Key Points

• Canaccord Genuity raised Natera’s price target to $500 from $375 and maintained a “buy” rating, implying 27.08% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with Natera receiving a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $374.64; several brokerages recently raised their targets.
• Natera reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, including revenue of $752.75 million—up 37.7% year over year—and an adjusted EPS loss that was narrower than analysts expected. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s shares.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) had its price objective raised by equities research analysts at Canaccord Genuity Group from $375.00 to $500.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "buy" rating on the medical research company's stock. Canaccord Genuity Group's price target would indicate a potential upside of 27.08% from the stock's previous close.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on NTRA. Stephens raised their price target on shares of Natera from $305.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Natera from $360.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Leerink Partners set a $330.00 price objective on Natera in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Natera from $350.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, June 26th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $310.00 target price for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Natera has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $374.64.

Natera Stock Performance

NASDAQ NTRA opened at $393.44 on Monday. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $358.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $275.88. The stock has a market cap of $56.71 billion, a PE ratio of -289.29 and a beta of 1.50. Natera has a fifty-two week low of $178.01 and a fifty-two week high of $437.41.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The medical research company reported ($0.47) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.49) by $0.02. Natera had a negative return on equity of 11.38% and a negative net margin of 7.11%. The company had revenue of $752.75 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $661.24 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($0.74) EPS. Natera's revenue was up 37.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Natera will post -1.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $414.22, for a total transaction of $1,242,660.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 106,914 shares of the company's stock, valued at $44,285,917.08. This trade represents a 2.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider John Fesko sold 6,517 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $321.53, for a total transaction of $2,095,411.01. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 197,257 shares in the company, valued at $63,424,043.21. This trade represents a 3.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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 three months, insiders have sold 52,985 shares of company stock valued at $16,119,137. 5.05% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Natera during the second quarter worth $2,962,770,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in shares of Natera by 1.0% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,191,732 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $238,334,000 after purchasing an additional 11,793 shares in the last quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. grew its position in shares of Natera by 24.1% in the first quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. now owns 1,171,633 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $234,315,000 after purchasing an additional 227,605 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in shares of Natera by 10.7% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 833,376 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $226,220,000 after purchasing an additional 80,440 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the 2nd quarter valued at $199,960,000. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Natera Company Profile

Natera, Inc is a diagnostics company that develops and commercializes molecular testing services designed to provide personalized genetic and genomic information. Its tests are used across reproductive health, oncology and organ transplantation, with the company combining next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics to analyze DNA and monitor disease-related signals.

In reproductive health, Natera offers Panorama noninvasive prenatal screening, Horizon carrier screening and Vistara single-gene disorder screening.

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