Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock Gets Price Target Trim from Robert W. Baird

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its price target reduced by Robert W. Baird from $458.00 to $403.00 in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. Robert W. Baird currently has an outperform rating on the medical research company’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on NTRA. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Natera from $355.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Natera from $350.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Natera in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Natera from $365.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, BTIG Research raised their price target on shares of Natera from $320.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $394.31.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $319.82 on Monday. Natera has a 12-month low of $181.00 and a 12-month high of $437.41. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $379.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $270.81.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The medical research company reported ($0.42) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.28) by ($0.14). The company had revenue of $793.98 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $707.54 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 5.66% and a negative return on equity of 8.61%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 34.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.64) EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Natera will post -1.25 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Steven Chapman sold 3,801 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $411.80, for a total transaction of $1,565,251.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 87,431 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $36,004,085.80. This trade represents a 4.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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, CFO Michael Brophy sold 1,906 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $425.55, for a total transaction of $811,098.30. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 46,574 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,819,565.70. This represents a 3.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 47,056 shares of company stock valued at $17,760,989 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new position in Natera during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. IFG Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera during the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Continuum Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Natera in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Natera during the second quarter valued at about $35,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Natera

Natera, Inc. is a diagnostics company that develops and provides genetic testing and molecular diagnostics for reproductive health, oncology and organ health. Its tests analyze cell-free DNA and other genetic material to support screening, diagnosis and disease monitoring. In reproductive health, Natera offers Panorama, a noninvasive prenatal screening test, and Horizon, a carrier screening test. Its oncology portfolio includes Signatera, a personalized circulating tumor DNA test used to monitor for molecular residual disease and assess cancer recurrence.