Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock Has Consensus Price Target of $394.31 According to Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts are broadly positive on Natera: 23 analysts give the stock a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, with an average 12-month price target of $394.31. Ratings include 17 buys, two strong buys, two holds and two sells.
• Quarterly results topped expectations: Natera reported revenue of $752.75 million, up 37.7% year over year and above forecasts of $661.24 million. Its loss of $0.47 per share was also slightly narrower than expected.
• Natera shares opened at $388.63 and were up 2.6% in the reported session; the stock’s 12-month range was $181.00 to $437.41.

Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-three analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $394.31.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on NTRA shares. Zacks Research lowered shares of Natera from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Friday, October 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $350.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, September 25th. BTIG Research boosted their price objective on shares of Natera from $320.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 27th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Natera from $360.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Natera from $220.00 to $284.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th.

Natera Stock Up 2.6%

NASDAQ NTRA opened at $388.63 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $56.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -285.76 and a beta of 1.55. Natera has a twelve month low of $181.00 and a twelve month high of $437.41. The business's fifty day moving average is $379.22 and its 200 day moving average is $267.89.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The medical research company reported ($0.47) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.49) by $0.02. The business had revenue of $752.75 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $661.24 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 11.38% and a negative net margin of 7.11%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 37.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.74) EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Natera will post -1.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 15,160 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.89, for a total value of $4,955,652.40. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 110,859 shares of the company's stock, valued at $36,238,698.51. The trade was a 12.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider John Fesko sold 6,517 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $321.53, for a total value of $2,095,411.01. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 197,257 shares in the company, valued at $63,424,043.21. The trade was a 3.20% 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. Insiders have sold 45,256 shares of company stock valued at $16,455,344 over the last three months. 5.05% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Trust Co. of Vermont acquired a new stake in Natera during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Natera in the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Continuum Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Natera in the second quarter worth approximately $33,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in 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 period. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Natera in the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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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