Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Given New $120.00 Price Target at Piper Sandler

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by equities research analysts at Piper Sandler from $110.00 to $120.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "overweight" rating on the medical research company's stock. Piper Sandler's target price suggests a potential upside of 13.72% from the stock's current price.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Raymond James lowered shares of Natera from a "strong-buy" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $68.00 to $85.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Craig Hallum initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $117.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, May 9th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on Natera from $100.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Natera from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $120.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $98.47.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NTRA stock traded up $2.19 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $105.52. 1,303,909 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,447,266. Natera has a twelve month low of $36.90 and a twelve month high of $108.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 3.96 and a current ratio of 4.10. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $92.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $72.63. The firm has a market cap of $12.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -33.82 and a beta of 1.38.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The medical research company reported ($0.56) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.72) by $0.16. Natera had a negative return on equity of 51.09% and a negative net margin of 30.24%. The firm had revenue of $367.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $316.31 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($1.23) earnings per share. Natera's revenue was up 52.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Natera will post -2.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Natera news, insider Daniel Rabinowitz sold 35,307 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.09, for a total value of $2,651,202.63. Following the sale, the insider now owns 204,218 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $15,334,729.62. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Natera news, insider Daniel Rabinowitz sold 35,307 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.09, for a total value of $2,651,202.63. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 204,218 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $15,334,729.62. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Herm Rosenman sold 93,901 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.37, for a total value of $6,513,912.37. Following the sale, the director now owns 61,685 shares in the company, valued at $4,279,088.45. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 410,750 shares of company stock valued at $35,002,520. 7.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Natera

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. Castle Hook Partners LP acquired a new stake in Natera during the first quarter valued at approximately $14,498,000. Natixis bought a new position in Natera in the 1st quarter valued at $758,000. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Natera in the first quarter worth $220,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 0.7% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,044,743 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,010,152,000 after purchasing an additional 72,848 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M&G Plc bought a new position in shares of Natera in the first quarter valued at about $8,199,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Natera Company Profile

Natera, Inc, a diagnostics company, develops and commercializes molecular testing services worldwide. Its products include Panorama, a non-invasive prenatal test that screens for chromosomal abnormalities of a fetus, as well as in twin pregnancies; Horizon carrier screening test for individuals and couples determine if they are carriers of genetic variations that cause certain genetic conditions; Vistara single-gene NIPT screens for 25 single-gene disorders that cause severe skeletal, cardiac, and neurological conditions; Spectrum, preimplantation genetic tests for couples undergoing IVF; Anora that analyzes miscarriage tissue from women; Empower, a hereditary cancer screening test; and non-invasive prenatal paternity product, which allows a couple to establish paternity without waiting for the child to be born.