Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Research Coverage Started at Craig Hallum

Analysts at Craig Hallum began coverage on shares of Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) in a note issued to investors on Monday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm set a "buy" rating and a $117.00 price target on the medical research company's stock. Craig Hallum's target price points to a potential upside of 22.60% from the company's current price.

NTRA has been the subject of a number of other research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Natera from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Natera in a research report on Wednesday, December 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $70.00 target price on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Natera from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $120.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday. BTIG Research boosted their target price on Natera from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, December 29th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on Natera from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $85.73.

Natera Stock Performance

NASDAQ:NTRA traded down $1.32 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $95.43. 1,264,388 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,511,489. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $81.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $63.17. Natera has a one year low of $36.90 and a one year high of $98.82. The company has a quick ratio of 3.96, a current ratio of 4.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The firm has a market cap of $11.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -25.18 and a beta of 1.37.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The medical research company reported ($0.64) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.73) by $0.09. Natera had a negative return on equity of 62.19% and a negative net margin of 40.16%. The business had revenue of $311.11 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $300.38 million. Research analysts anticipate that Natera will post -2.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In related news, insider Daniel Rabinowitz sold 35,307 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider now owns 204,218 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,334,729.62. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, insider Daniel Rabinowitz sold 35,307 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider now owns 204,218 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,334,729.62. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 447 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.22, for a total value of $40,328.34. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 347,731 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,372,290.82. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 366,477 shares of company stock worth $28,552,682. 9.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Natera

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 7,267 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $456,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 6,216 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $389,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 45,469 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $2,012,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 83,843 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $3,710,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Xponance Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 14,506 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $642,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.