BTIG Research Has Lowered Expectations for Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock Price

Key Points

• BTIG Research cut its price target on Natera from $260 to $250 but kept a buy rating, implying about 25% upside from the prior close.
• The stock was up 3.0% on Monday to $200, and analyst sentiment remains constructive overall, with a Moderate Buy consensus and a $255.33 average target price.
• Natera recently beat earnings and revenue estimates, but the company still posted negative margins; meanwhile, executives sold shares in May under pre-arranged trading plans, and institutional ownership remains very high.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) had its price objective lowered by equities research analysts at BTIG Research from $260.00 to $250.00 in a research note issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "buy" rating on the medical research company's stock. BTIG Research's target price suggests a potential upside of 25.00% from the stock's previous close.

NTRA has been the topic 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 stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday. William Blair initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. They issued an "outperform" rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Natera from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $255.33.

Natera Trading Up 3.0%

NTRA traded up $5.76 during trading on Monday, hitting $200.00. The stock had a trading volume of 1,128,215 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,277,751. The firm has a market cap of $28.46 billion, a PE ratio of -122.98 and a beta of 1.57. Natera has a 12 month low of $131.81 and a 12 month high of $256.36. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $202.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $215.02.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.46) by $0.81. The firm had revenue of $665.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $600.68 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 9.05% and a negative return on equity of 15.72%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.41) EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Natera will post -1.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other Natera news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,405 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.69, for a total value of $693,564.45. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 142,295 shares in the company, valued at $28,984,068.55. This trade represents a 2.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 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. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 902 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $206.16, for a total transaction of $185,956.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 149,867 shares in the company, valued at $30,896,580.72. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 90 days, insiders have sold 38,266 shares of company stock valued at $7,747,808. Company insiders own 5.63% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Natera

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its position in shares of Natera by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,560 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $221,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Natera by 68.3% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 4,552 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $644,000 after acquiring an additional 1,847 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in shares of Natera by 8.6% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 5,993 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $847,000 after acquiring an additional 474 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera during the 2nd quarter valued at about $298,000. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Natera during the 2nd quarter valued at about $558,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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