Brokerages Set Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) PT at $86.40

Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Buy" from the fourteen brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $86.40.

A number of research firms have weighed in on NTRA. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $78.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. Craig Hallum began coverage on Natera in a report on Monday, April 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $117.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Natera from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. StockNews.com lowered Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on Natera from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NTRA traded up $2.43 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $91.04. 1,050,922 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,470,075. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $86.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $66.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.99 billion, a PE ratio of -24.02 and a beta of 1.37. Natera has a 52-week low of $36.90 and a 52-week high of $98.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 4.10 and a quick ratio of 3.96.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 28th. The medical research company reported ($0.64) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.73) by $0.09. Natera had a negative net margin of 40.16% and a negative return on equity of 62.19%. The company had revenue of $311.11 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $300.38 million. On average, equities research analysts expect that Natera will post -2.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, insider John Fesko sold 2,358 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.09, for a total value of $153,482.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 108,494 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,061,874.46. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 80,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.82, for a total value of $7,265,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 117,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,676,799.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider John Fesko sold 2,358 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.09, for a total value of $153,482.22. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 108,494 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,061,874.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 448,782 shares of company stock worth $36,150,651 over the last quarter. 9.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter worth $83,970,000. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Natera by 115.7% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,654,303 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $73,203,000 after acquiring an additional 887,409 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Natera by 52.0% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,529,496 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $111,930,000 after acquiring an additional 865,404 shares during the period. Perceptive Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 289.7% during the 4th quarter. Perceptive Advisors LLC now owns 850,225 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $53,258,000 after purchasing an additional 632,047 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Natera by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,971,895 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $687,280,000 after purchasing an additional 588,147 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

About Natera

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.