Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Saturday.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $300.00 target price on the stock. Zacks Research raised Natera from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 1st. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Natera from $265.00 to $250.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Natera from $239.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Natera from $205.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Natera currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.47.

Natera Stock Down 0.3%

Natera stock opened at $207.74 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $203.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of $212.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -135.78 and a beta of 1.68. Natera has a 52-week low of $131.81 and a 52-week high of $256.36.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.46) by $0.81. Natera had a negative net margin of 9.03% and a negative return on equity of 15.28%. The firm had revenue of $665.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $600.68 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.41) earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Natera will post -1.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 785 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.13, for a total transaction of $160,242.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 63,354 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,932,452.02. This represents a 1.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $202.30, for a total value of $606,900.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 147,882 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,916,528.60. The trade was a 1.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Insiders have sold 177,654 shares of company stock worth $41,007,391 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 5.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its position 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 during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 68.3% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 4,552 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $644,000 after acquiring an additional 1,847 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in shares of Natera by 8.6% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 5,993 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $847,000 after purchasing an additional 474 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Natera during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $298,000. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in Natera in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $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.