Barclays Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock Price

Key Points

• Barclays cut its price target on Natera from $280 to $260 while keeping an overweight rating, implying only modest upside from the current share price.
• Other analysts are mixed on the stock: UBS set a $260 target, Goldman Sachs initiated coverage at neutral with a $245 target, and RBC started at outperform with a $275 target. Overall, MarketBeat shows a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average target of $255.94.
• Natera shares jumped 8.1% to $253.89 on Wednesday, near the stock’s 52-week high of $256.36. The company also saw notable insider selling recently, including a large sale by director Roelof Botha.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) had its price objective cut by Barclays from $280.00 to $260.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "overweight" rating on the medical research company's stock. Barclays's price target would suggest a potential upside of 2.41% from the stock's current price.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. UBS Group set a $260.00 price objective on Natera in a research report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Natera from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, June 5th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $245.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 price objective on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $255.94.

Natera Stock Up 8.1%

NTRA stock traded up $19.13 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $253.89. The stock had a trading volume of 473,554 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,327,948. Natera has a one year low of $131.81 and a one year high of $256.36. The company's 50 day moving average is $209.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $215.30. The company has a market capitalization of $36.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -155.61 and a beta of 1.56.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Roelof Botha sold 78,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.31, for a total transaction of $17,184,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,076,198 shares in the company, valued at approximately $237,097,181.38. This represents a 6.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 3,070 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $193.74, for a total value of $594,781.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 58,291 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,293,298.34. This trade represents a 5.00% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 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 162,342 shares of company stock worth $35,283,396. 5.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Horizon Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Natera by 22.0% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 244 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its position in shares of Natera by 20.0% during the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 270 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. now owns 1,541 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $353,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 5.5% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 905 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $181,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Corp lifted its position in Natera by 5.5% in the 1st quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 982 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $196,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

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.

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