Morgan Stanley Increases Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Price Target to $132.00

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its price objective raised by research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $125.00 to $132.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the medical research company’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 14.53% from the company’s previous close.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price target on shares of Natera from $100.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 10th. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Natera from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. StockNews.com lowered shares of Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a report on Friday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Monday, June 3rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $142.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $119.07.

Natera Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of Natera stock opened at $115.25 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.15 billion, a PE ratio of -36.94 and a beta of 1.48. Natera has a twelve month low of $36.90 and a twelve month high of $117.39. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $108.05 and its 200 day moving average price is $95.74. The company has a current ratio of 4.12, a quick ratio of 3.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.30) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.69) by $0.39. The business had revenue of $413.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $343.00 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 30.24% and a negative return on equity of 49.72%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 58.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.97) earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Natera will post -2.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,866 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.65, for a total value of $185,946.90. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 71,955 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,170,315.75. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,866 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.65, for a total value of $185,946.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 71,955 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,170,315.75. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Daniel Rabinowitz sold 1,057 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.77, for a total value of $108,627.89. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 206,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,211,728. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 88,387 shares of company stock worth $9,547,136 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter valued at $83,970,000. Perceptive Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Natera by 289.7% during the 4th quarter. Perceptive Advisors LLC now owns 850,225 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $53,258,000 after acquiring an additional 632,047 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Natera by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,971,895 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $687,280,000 after purchasing an additional 588,147 shares during the last quarter. First Light Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Natera by 295.9% in the 1st quarter. First Light Asset Management LLC now owns 656,708 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $60,063,000 after acquiring an additional 490,822 shares during the period. Finally, Farallon Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Natera by 13.0% in the 1st quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 3,927,683 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $359,226,000 after acquiring an additional 452,800 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Company Profile

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.