Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Price Target Raised to $363.50 at Piper Sandler

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its price objective lifted by equities researchers at Piper Sandler from $249.00 to $363.50 in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the medical research company’s stock. Piper Sandler’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 14.75% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Natera from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Natera from $315.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $340.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, August 7th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $350.00 target price (up from $305.00) on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, UBS Group set a $260.00 target price on Natera in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $316.88.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NTRA traded up $4.05 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $316.77. The stock had a trading volume of 274,279 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,356,699. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $258.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $224.81. Natera has a fifty-two week low of $152.62 and a fifty-two week high of $326.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -232.92 and a beta of 1.51.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The medical research company reported ($0.47) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.49) by $0.02. The company had revenue of $752.75 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $661.24 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 7.11% and a negative return on equity of 11.82%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 37.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($0.74) earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Natera will post -1.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 478 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 51,637 shares in the company, valued at $14,159,898.14. This trade represents a 0.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available 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, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 3,076 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.39, for a total value of $819,415.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 99,897 shares in the company, valued at $26,611,561.83. This represents a 2.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 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. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 181,045 shares of company stock valued at $41,330,968. 5.05% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NTRA. Horizon Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 22.0% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 244 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 5.5% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 905 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $181,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Corp increased its position in Natera by 5.5% in the 1st quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 982 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $196,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH raised its stake in Natera by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 1,804 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $290,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alamea Verwaltungs GmbH lifted its position in Natera by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Alamea Verwaltungs GmbH now owns 2,229 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $515,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Company Profile

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.