Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Price Target Raised to $270.00 at BTIG Research

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its target price hoisted by equities research analysts at BTIG Research from $250.00 to $270.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the medical research company’s stock. BTIG Research’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 15.01% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on NTRA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Natera from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $260.00 price target on the stock. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $249.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. William Blair initiated coverage on Natera in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $270.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, May 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Natera currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $257.71.

Natera Trading Up 2.6%

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA traded up $5.96 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $234.76. 1,870,530 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,329,242. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $208.72 and a 200 day simple moving average of $215.33. Natera has a twelve month low of $131.81 and a twelve month high of $256.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -144.02 and a beta of 1.56.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In related news, Director Roelof Botha sold 78,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.31, for a total value of $17,184,180.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,076,198 shares in the company, valued at $237,097,181.38. The trade was a 6.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 41,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.03, for a total transaction of $9,089,637.72. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 108,743 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,035,465.29. The trade was a 27.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 162,342 shares of company stock worth $35,283,396. Company insiders own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Coatue Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 1,446.1% in the fourth quarter. Coatue Management LLC now owns 2,633,334 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $603,270,000 after buying an additional 2,463,008 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Natera by 94.7% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,976,325 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,140,026,000 after acquiring an additional 2,420,263 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Natera in the fourth quarter worth $372,398,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Natera by 10.5% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,854,334 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $2,944,800,000 after acquiring an additional 1,225,420 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of Natera by 37.5% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,665,013 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $428,987,000 after buying an additional 727,366 shares during the period. 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.