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

Key Points

• Natera has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” from 21 research firms, with an average 12-month price target of about $256.12.
• Recent analyst moves were mixed: JPMorgan and BTIG were constructive with higher targets or buy ratings, while Weiss Ratings kept a sell view and Wall Street Zen downgraded the stock to hold.
• Insiders have been selling shares recently, including the CFO and another executive, with total insider sales of 156,530 shares worth about $33.9 million over the past 90 days.

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the twenty-one research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation, fourteen have assigned a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $256.1176.

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Natera from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Natera in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. BTIG Research lowered their target price on shares of Natera from $260.00 to $250.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 11th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Natera from $265.00 to $250.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Natera from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,405 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.69, for a total transaction of $693,564.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 142,295 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,984,068.55. This trade represents a 2.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 3,070 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.74, for a total transaction of $594,781.80. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 58,291 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,293,298.34. The trade was a 5.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold a total of 156,530 shares of company stock valued at $33,914,062 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 5.05% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Horizon Investments LLC raised its holdings in Natera by 22.0% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 244 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its holdings in Natera by 20.0% in the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 270 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Natera by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Savvy Advisors Inc. now owns 1,541 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $353,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Natera by 5.5% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 905 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $181,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Corp raised its holdings in Natera by 5.5% in the 1st quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 982 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $196,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Natera Stock Performance

Natera stock opened at $215.31 on Friday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $204.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $216.06. The stock has a market cap of $30.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -132.09 and a beta of 1.56. Natera has a fifty-two week low of $131.81 and a fifty-two week high of $256.36.

About Natera

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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