Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Given New $205.00 Price Target at Piper Sandler

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its price objective lifted by equities researchers at Piper Sandler from $200.00 to $205.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the medical research company’s stock. Piper Sandler’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 48.69% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on NTRA. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $173.00.

Natera Stock Down 3.7 %

NASDAQ NTRA traded down $5.24 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $137.87. The stock had a trading volume of 2,049,471 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,317,920. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $167.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $147.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 4.23. Natera has a 1 year low of $83.13 and a 1 year high of $183.00. The stock has a market cap of $18.20 billion, a PE ratio of -78.31 and a beta of 1.66.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.01. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The company had revenue of $476.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $447.91 million. On average, research analysts expect that Natera will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In related news, insider John Fesko sold 669 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.60, for a total value of $106,772.40. Following the sale, the insider now owns 114,142 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,217,063.20. The trade was a 0.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 43,502 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.88, for a total value of $7,694,633.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 70,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,492,857.52. This represents a 38.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 208,299 shares of company stock worth $34,948,265. Insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Natera

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 37.9% in the third quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC now owns 41,302 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $5,243,000 after buying an additional 11,362 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in Natera by 27.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 86,144 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $10,936,000 after acquiring an additional 18,316 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Natera in the third quarter worth $385,000. Everence Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter worth $573,000. Finally, First Turn Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Natera during the third quarter valued at $19,760,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Natera

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.