Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock Price Expected to Rise, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Analyst Says

Key Points

• JPMorgan raised its price target on Natera from $260 to $265 and kept an overweight rating, implying about 36% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment remains mostly positive, with several firms reiterating or upgrading ratings; MarketBeat shows a consensus Moderate Buy and an average target price of $256.
• The stock fell sharply despite the bullish outlook, dropping 11.5% to $194.58 after Natera’s latest earnings showed EPS below estimates even as revenue rose 38.8% year over year.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) had its price target lifted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $260.00 to $265.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "overweight" rating on the medical research company's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s target price suggests a potential upside of 36.19% from the company's previous close.

NTRA has been the topic of a number of other reports. Wall Street Zen raised Natera from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 18th. William Blair initiated coverage on Natera in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. They set an "outperform" rating for the company. Robert W. Baird set a $265.00 price target on Natera in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Natera from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Monday, January 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Natera has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $256.00.

Natera Stock Down 11.5%

Shares of Natera stock traded down $25.24 during trading on Friday, reaching $194.58. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,324,724 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,261,686. Natera has a 52-week low of $131.81 and a 52-week high of $256.36. The company has a market cap of $27.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -127.45 and a beta of 1.57. The firm's 50-day moving average is $202.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $215.02.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The medical research company reported ($0.60) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.53) by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $696.64 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $617.10 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 15.28% and a negative net margin of 9.03%.Natera's revenue for the quarter was up 38.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.50) EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Natera will post -1.71 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other Natera news, insider John Fesko sold 291 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.16, for a total transaction of $59,992.56. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 187,220 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $38,597,275.20. The trade was a 0.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed 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 482 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.49, for a total transaction of $101,456.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 57,496 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,102,333.04. This trade represents a 0.83% 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 38,266 shares of company stock worth $7,747,808. 5.63% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Natera

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 6.6% in the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,560 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $221,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in Natera by 68.3% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 4,552 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $644,000 after purchasing an additional 1,847 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth raised its holdings in Natera by 8.6% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 5,993 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $847,000 after purchasing an additional 474 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Natera during the second quarter valued at $298,000. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new position in Natera during the second quarter valued at $558,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Natera News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Natera this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 revenue beat and margin improvement — Natera reported Q1 revenue of $696.6M, up 38.8% year-over-year, and a gross margin of 64.7%, both stronger than recent trends, which supports top-line growth expectations. BusinessWire: Q1 results
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price-target tweak — Wells Fargo raised its price target modestly from $215 to $220 while keeping an "equal weight" rating, signaling cautious optimism but not a change to a buy stance. Benzinga: Wells Fargo price target
• Neutral Sentiment: FY‑2026 revenue guidance roughly in line with consensus — Natera updated FY‑2026 revenue guidance to about $2.7–$2.8B, which tracks street expectations and reduces uncertainty around top-line outlook but provides limited upside surprise. Press release / slide deck
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary and metric breakdowns available — Coverage pieces review key Q1 metrics vs. estimates; useful for investors digging into volume, test mix and margins but not immediate market-moving items. Zacks: Key metrics vs estimates
• Negative Sentiment: EPS missed expectations — Natera reported ($0.60) EPS, missing consensus (~($0.53)), and EPS declined versus the year-ago quarter; the bottom-line shortfall is a direct negative for near-term valuation sentiment. MarketBeat: Earnings summary
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — CEO and another insider disclosed stock sales (CEO sale ~ $186k; Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,405 shares), which can amplify selling pressure or signal management liquidity needs. AmericanBankingNews: CEO sale AmericanBankingNews: Solomon sale

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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