Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Hold Rating

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report released on Wednesday morning.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $150.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $125.69.

Natera Trading Up 2.1 %

NTRA stock traded up $2.58 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $126.97. The company had a trading volume of 1,149,799 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,308,360. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 4.01 and a current ratio of 4.14. Natera has a 12 month low of $40.61 and a 12 month high of $133.54. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $123.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $113.06.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.30) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.69) by $0.39. Natera had a negative net margin of 21.47% and a negative return on equity of 36.74%. The company had revenue of $413.35 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $343.00 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.97) earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 58.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Natera will post -1.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,583 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.91, for a total value of $663,874.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 200,710 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,866,426.10. This represents a 0.00 % 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. In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,583 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.91, for a total transaction of $663,874.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 200,710 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $23,866,426.10. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 2,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.82, for a total transaction of $307,314.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 299,441 shares of the company's stock, valued at $34,082,374.62. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 50,164 shares of company stock worth $6,157,291. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Natera by 25.0% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,776 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $528,000 after acquiring an additional 1,155 shares in the last quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the first quarter valued at approximately $14,467,000. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its position in shares of Natera by 19.2% during the first quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 9,047 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $827,000 after acquiring an additional 1,457 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Natera by 28.8% during the first quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 17,586 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,608,000 after acquiring an additional 3,927 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lisanti Capital Growth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,189,000. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Natera Company Profile

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.