JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Positive Forecast for Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock Price

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its price objective hoisted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $210.00 to $240.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the medical research company’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective indicates a potential upside of 20.26% from the stock’s previous close.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Zacks Research lowered Natera from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Barclays raised their price target on Natera from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $268.00 price objective on Natera and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $183.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $190.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Natera currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $204.11.

Natera Stock Up 0.5%

NASDAQ:NTRA traded up $1.09 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $199.57. The company had a trading volume of 2,704,516 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,424,902. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.39 billion, a PE ratio of -104.49 and a beta of 1.75. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $177.12 and a two-hundred day moving average of $163.28. Natera has a one year low of $125.38 and a one year high of $203.23.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The medical research company reported ($0.64) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.39) by ($0.25). The firm had revenue of $592.18 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $514.55 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 12.89% and a negative return on equity of 22.22%. The business’s revenue was up 34.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.26) EPS. Natera has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Natera will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider John Fesko sold 928 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.46, for a total transaction of $177,674.88. Following the transaction, the insider owned 150,699 shares in the company, valued at $28,852,830.54. The trade was a 0.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 160,703 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.96, for a total value of $32,134,171.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 144,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $28,957,407.36. This represents a 52.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 224,889 shares of company stock worth $43,232,062. 5.63% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in shares of Natera by 56.3% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 10,537,743 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,490,144,000 after acquiring an additional 3,795,315 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Natera by 44.3% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,625,785 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,795,125,000 after acquiring an additional 3,263,822 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Natera in the 2nd quarter worth $277,749,000. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Natera during the 1st quarter worth about $113,375,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in Natera by 140.4% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,253,790 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $177,298,000 after purchasing an additional 732,156 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

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.