Sanford C. Bernstein Reaffirms Outperform Rating for Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating reissued by equities researchers at Sanford C. Bernstein in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $310.00 target price on the medical research company’s stock. Sanford C. Bernstein’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 19.42% from the stock’s current price.

NTRA has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Natera from $265.00 to $250.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Barclays lowered their price objective on Natera from $280.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Natera from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Natera from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on Natera in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 target price on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Natera presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $259.22.

Natera Price Performance

NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $259.58 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $211.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $215.54. The company has a market cap of $37.17 billion, a P/E ratio of -161.01 and a beta of 1.56. Natera has a one year low of $131.81 and a one year high of $271.47.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 2,964 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $216.78, for a total value of $642,535.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 3,124 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $677,220.72. The trade was a 48.69% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $218.43, for a total value of $655,290.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 137,643 shares in the company, valued at $30,065,360.49. This represents a 2.13% decrease in their position. 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 162,342 shares of company stock valued at $35,283,396 in the last 90 days. 5.05% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Palladiem LLC acquired a new position in Natera in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Horizon Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera during the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 132.9% during the first quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 170 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Jackson Hole Trust raised its holdings in Natera by 103.8% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 163 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Natera

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.