Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded Natera from “strong sell” to “hold,” while the broader analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $319.38.
• Natera reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, including revenue of $752.75 million—up 37.7% year over year—and an EPS loss of $0.47 versus the expected $0.49 loss.
• The stock opened at $310.78, near its 12-month high of $326.03, and institutional investors own a substantial 99.90% of outstanding shares.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Natera in a research note on Friday, June 26th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $310.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $220.00 to $284.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research report on Monday, July 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Natera from $315.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Natera from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $319.38.

Natera Trading Down 1.6%

Natera stock opened at $310.78 on Wednesday. Natera has a 12-month low of $152.62 and a 12-month high of $326.03. The stock has a market cap of $44.80 billion, a P/E ratio of -228.51 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $261.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $225.82.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The medical research company reported ($0.47) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.49) by $0.02. Natera had a negative return on equity of 11.82% and a negative net margin of 7.11%.The company had revenue of $752.75 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $661.24 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.74) EPS. Natera's revenue for the quarter was up 37.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Natera will post -1.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other Natera news, insider John Fesko sold 295 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $267.99, for a total transaction of $79,057.05. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 183,774 shares of the company's stock, valued at $49,249,594.26. This represents a 0.16% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at 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 478 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.22, for a total value of $131,077.16. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 51,637 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,159,898.14. The trade was a 0.92% 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. Insiders have sold a total of 181,045 shares of company stock worth $41,330,968 over the last three months. 5.05% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new position in Natera in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new position in Natera during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera in the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Palladiem LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Horizon Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera in the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source