Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is moderately bullish: Twenty-two brokerages give Natera a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, with 14 buys and three strong buys. The average 12-month price target is $267.83, though recent targets range from $260 to $290.
• Natera shares opened at $261.99, near the analyst consensus target, and have traded between $131.81 and $288.04 over the past year. The company’s market capitalization is approximately $37.52 billion.
• Insiders sold substantially more stock: Company insiders sold 167,171 shares worth $37.2 million in the last quarter, while institutional investors own 99.9% of Natera’s shares.

Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-two ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $267.8333.

Several analysts have issued reports on NTRA shares. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Natera from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, July 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Natera from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Guggenheim upped their price target on Natera from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of Natera stock opened at $261.99 on Monday. Natera has a 1 year low of $131.81 and a 1 year high of $288.04. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $240.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $221.50. The company has a market cap of $37.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -160.73 and a beta of 1.51.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 41,124 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.03, for a total value of $9,089,637.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 108,743 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,035,465.29. This represents a 27.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Herm Rosenman sold 16,530 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $4,132,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,062,500. This trade represents a 79.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 167,171 shares of company stock valued at $37,239,209 in the last quarter. 5.05% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. Robinhood Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter worth approximately $12,981,000. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG bought a new stake in Natera in the fourth quarter valued at $2,825,000. UBS Group AG grew its position in Natera by 19.4% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 438,857 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $100,538,000 after acquiring an additional 71,355 shares during the period. ABN Amro Investment Solutions raised its stake in Natera by 44.6% during the first quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions now owns 9,346 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,869,000 after acquiring an additional 2,883 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dakota Wealth Management acquired a new position in Natera during the fourth quarter worth $1,356,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Natera Company Profile

Natera is a global diagnostics company that develops and commercializes cell-free DNA and other genetic testing technologies for clinical applications. The company focuses on three principal areas: reproductive health (including non-invasive prenatal testing and carrier screening), oncology (tumor-informed assays for minimal residual disease and recurrence monitoring), and organ transplantation (cell-free DNA tests to detect allograft injury). Natera combines laboratory testing, proprietary bioinformatics, and clinical reporting to deliver personalized genetic information to clinicians and patients.

Key product offerings include Panorama, a non-invasive prenatal test that screens for fetal chromosomal abnormalities and select single-gene conditions; Horizon carrier screening for inherited conditions; Signatera, a personalized, tumor-informed assay used for detecting minimal residual disease and monitoring treatment response in cancer patients; and Prospera, a donor-derived cell-free DNA test used to assess the risk of organ rejection.

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