Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Upgraded by Sanford C. Bernstein to "Outperform"

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a $120.00 target price on the medical research company's stock. Sanford C. Bernstein's target price points to a potential upside of 24.03% from the company's current price.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on NTRA. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Natera from $70.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Natera from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on Natera from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. StockNews.com downgraded Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, Raymond James downgraded Natera from a "strong-buy" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their target price for the company from $68.00 to $85.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Natera has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $83.50.

Natera Stock Performance

NTRA traded up $4.39 during trading on Friday, hitting $96.75. The stock had a trading volume of 1,540,938 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,515,232. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $80.59 and a 200-day moving average price of $62.33. The firm has a market cap of $11.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -25.94 and a beta of 1.37. Natera has a one year low of $36.90 and a one year 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 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. The business had revenue of $311.11 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $300.38 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 62.19% and a negative net margin of 40.16%. As a group, research analysts predict that Natera will post -2.35 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Daniel Rabinowitz sold 35,307 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, 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 is available at this link. In related news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 447 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.22, for a total transaction of $40,328.34. Following the sale, the insider now owns 347,731 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,372,290.82. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel Rabinowitz sold 35,307 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $15,334,729.62. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 366,477 shares of company stock valued at $28,552,682. Company insiders own 9.42% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. RiverPark Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new position in Natera in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in Natera in the third quarter worth approximately $44,000. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group boosted its holdings in Natera by 109.3% in the fourth quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group now owns 745 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 389 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its holdings in Natera by 224.4% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,317 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 911 shares in the last quarter. 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.