Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Price Target Cut to $260.00 by Analysts at Barclays

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its price target dropped by Barclays from $280.00 to $260.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the medical research company’s stock. Barclays‘s target price indicates a potential upside of 2.41% from the company’s previous close.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. William Blair began coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Natera from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $270.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Natera from $265.00 to $250.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on Natera in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $260.00 price target on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Natera has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $255.94.

Natera Stock Up 8.1%

Shares of Natera stock traded up $19.13 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $253.89. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 473,554 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,327,948. Natera has a 52-week low of $131.81 and a 52-week high of $256.36. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $209.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $215.30. The company has a market cap of $36.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -155.61 and a beta of 1.56.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 3,070 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.74, for a total transaction of $594,781.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 58,291 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,293,298.34. This represents a 5.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 11,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.21, for a total value of $2,389,310.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 6,183 shares in the company, valued at $1,343,009.43. The trade was a 64.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 162,342 shares of company stock valued at $35,283,396. 5.05% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 6.6% during the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,560 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $221,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Natera by 68.3% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 4,552 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $644,000 after acquiring an additional 1,847 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its holdings in Natera by 8.6% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 5,993 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $847,000 after acquiring an additional 474 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Natera during the 2nd quarter valued at $298,000. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new position in Natera during the 2nd quarter valued at $558,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.