Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Sanford C. Bernstein Analyst Says

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) had its target price boosted by Sanford C. Bernstein from $160.00 to $200.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Sanford C. Bernstein currently has an outperform rating on the medical research company's stock.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price target on shares of Natera from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Craig Hallum raised their target price on shares of Natera from $121.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Natera from $150.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Natera currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $158.00.

Natera Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA traded down $1.61 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $175.00. The company had a trading volume of 1,556,276 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,243,396. The company has a current ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $159.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $131.68. The stock has a market cap of $23.10 billion, a P/E ratio of -99.43 and a beta of 1.65. Natera has a 52-week low of $59.80 and a 52-week high of $177.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.57) by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $439.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $361.43 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. Natera's quarterly revenue was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.95) EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Natera will post -1.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 1,709 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Monday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.76, for a total value of $206,378.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 194,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,501,707.40. The trade was a 0.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 1,767 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.24, for a total transaction of $300,814.08. Following the sale, the director now owns 6,202 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,055,828.48. The trade was a 22.17 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 127,932 shares of company stock worth $20,635,430. 7.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Natera by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 11,001 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,741,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. lifted its holdings in Natera by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 3,581 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $567,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co acquired a new stake in Natera in the 4th quarter valued at about $220,000. Silverleafe Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Natera during the 4th quarter worth about $631,000. Finally, Everence Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the 4th quarter valued at about $573,000. 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.