Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Price Target Cut to $403.00 by Analysts at Robert W. Baird

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its price objective reduced by equities researchers at Robert W. Baird from $458.00 to $403.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the medical research company’s stock. Robert W. Baird‘s target price would indicate a potential upside of 29.72% from the company’s previous close.

NTRA has been the subject of several other reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Natera from $460.00 to $405.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Natera from $355.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 12th. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on Natera from $375.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 19th. UBS Group increased their target price on Natera from $290.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Natera from $220.00 to $284.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Natera currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $394.31.

Natera Stock Performance

NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $310.67 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $380.25 and a 200-day moving average price of $269.68. Natera has a 12 month low of $181.00 and a 12 month high of $437.41. The stock has a market cap of $44.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -272.52 and a beta of 1.55.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The medical research company reported ($0.42) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.28) by ($0.14). Natera had a negative net margin of 5.66% and a negative return on equity of 8.73%. The company had revenue of $793.98 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $707.54 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.64) EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 34.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Natera will post -1.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 15,160 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.89, for a total value of $4,955,652.40. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 110,859 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $36,238,698.51. This represents a 12.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 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 Brophy sold 1,906 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $425.55, for a total value of $811,098.30. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 46,574 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,819,565.70. The trade was a 3.93% 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 47,056 shares of company stock worth $17,760,989. 5.05% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Trust Co. of Vermont bought a new stake in Natera during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. IFG Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera in the third quarter worth approximately $40,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera in the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Continuum Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera in the second quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Natera during the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

About Natera

Natera, Inc is a diagnostics company that develops and provides genetic testing and molecular diagnostics for reproductive health, oncology and organ health. Its tests analyze cell-free DNA and other genetic material to support screening, diagnosis and disease monitoring.

In reproductive health, Natera offers Panorama, a noninvasive prenatal screening test, and Horizon, a carrier screening test. Its oncology portfolio includes Signatera, a personalized circulating tumor DNA test used to monitor for molecular residual disease and assess cancer recurrence.

The company also provides Prospera, a molecular test used to help assess organ transplant rejection.