Wells Fargo & Company Issues Positive Forecast for Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock Price

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its price target lifted by Wells Fargo & Company from $175.00 to $190.00 in a report published on Friday,Benzinga reports. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an equal weight rating on the medical research company’s stock.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on NTRA. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $220.00 target price (up previously from $210.00) on shares of Natera in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $195.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Sunday, August 10th. Zacks Research lowered Natera from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Natera to a “hold” rating and set a $172.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $206.74.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NTRA traded up $1.09 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $199.57. The stock had a trading volume of 2,707,168 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,247,989. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $177.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $163.67. Natera has a fifty-two week low of $125.38 and a fifty-two week high of $203.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -87.15 and a beta of 1.75.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The medical research company reported ($0.64) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.39) by ($0.25). Natera had a negative net margin of 14.61% and a negative return on equity of 25.20%. The firm had revenue of $592.18 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $514.55 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.26) EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 34.7% on a year-over-year basis. Natera has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Natera will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,867 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.64, for a total value of $355,924.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 64,126 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,224,980.64. This represents a 2.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.60, for a total transaction of $595,800.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 112,061 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,255,314.60. The trade was a 2.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 224,889 shares of company stock valued at $43,232,062 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 5.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Natera

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Natera during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. TCTC Holdings LLC increased its stake in Natera by 114.8% during the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 232 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in Natera by 83.5% during the first quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 233 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Hilltop National Bank purchased a new stake in Natera in the second quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Hedge funds and other 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.