Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock Rating Upgraded by The Goldman Sachs Group

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) was upgraded by investment analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Friday,Zacks.com reports.

NTRA has been the subject of several other research reports. BTIG Research lowered their target price on shares of Natera from $260.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 11th. William Blair began coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Tuesday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $260.00 price target for the company. Robert W. Baird set a $265.00 price target on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Natera in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $256.12.

Natera Price Performance

NTRA stock opened at $215.31 on Friday. Natera has a 1-year low of $131.81 and a 1-year high of $256.36. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $204.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $216.06. The firm has a market cap of $30.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -132.09 and a beta of 1.56.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 41,124 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.03, for a total transaction of $9,089,637.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 108,743 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,035,465.29. This represents a 27.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Roelof Botha sold 78,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $237,097,181.38. This represents a 6.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 156,530 shares of company stock valued at $33,914,062. Corporate insiders own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Natera

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Palladiem LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust lifted its position in shares of Natera by 103.8% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 163 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Natera by 132.9% in the first quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 170 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.