Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $256.5294.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Thursday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 price target on the stock. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $260.00 target price on the stock. BTIG Research decreased their target price on shares of Natera from $260.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, June 5th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $245.00 target price on the stock.

Insider Activity

In other Natera news, insider John Fesko sold 1,438 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $202.84, for a total transaction of $291,683.92. Following the sale, the insider owned 185,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,684,020.88. The trade was a 0.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 Roelof Botha sold 78,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.31, for a total transaction of $17,184,180.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,076,198 shares in the company, valued at approximately $237,097,181.38. The trade was a 6.76% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 159,378 shares of company stock valued at $34,640,860. 5.05% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew 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 worth $2,944,800,000 after acquiring an additional 1,225,420 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Natera by 94.7% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,976,325 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,140,026,000 after acquiring an additional 2,420,263 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Natera by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,389,599 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $545,624,000 after acquiring an additional 72,087 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Natera by 37.5% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,665,013 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $428,987,000 after acquiring an additional 727,366 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Coatue Management LLC grew its holdings in Natera by 1,446.1% during the 4th quarter. Coatue Management LLC now owns 2,633,334 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $603,270,000 after acquiring an additional 2,463,008 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Natera Trading Down 3.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $212.07 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $206.49 and a 200-day moving average of $215.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.37 billion, a PE ratio of -130.10 and a beta of 1.56. Natera has a 12 month low of $131.81 and a 12 month high of $256.36.

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.