Sanford C. Bernstein Upgrades Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) to Outperform

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) was upgraded by research analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $120.00 price objective on the medical research company’s stock. Sanford C. Bernstein’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 24.03% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on NTRA. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on shares of Natera from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Guggenheim assumed coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Thursday, December 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $70.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Natera from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $83.50.

Natera Stock Up 4.8 %

Natera stock opened at $96.75 on Friday. Natera has a 1-year low of $36.90 and a 1-year high of $98.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -25.53 and a beta of 1.37. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $81.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $62.73. The company has a current ratio of 4.10, a quick ratio of 3.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The medical research company reported ($0.64) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.73) by $0.09. Natera had a negative net margin of 40.16% and a negative return on equity of 62.19%. The company had revenue of $311.11 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $300.38 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that Natera will post -2.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 1,958 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.16, for a total transaction of $133,457.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 175,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,965,488. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 1,958 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.16, for a total transaction of $133,457.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 175,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,965,488. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider John Fesko sold 2,358 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.09, for a total transaction of $153,482.22. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 108,494 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,061,874.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 366,477 shares of company stock valued at $28,552,682. Corporate insiders own 9.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Natera by 6.7% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 820,974 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $33,399,000 after buying an additional 51,791 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 20.0% in the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 16,180 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $658,000 after acquiring an additional 2,698 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 215.2% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,049 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $83,000 after acquiring an additional 1,399 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 80.6% in the 1st quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 130,062 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $5,390,000 after acquiring an additional 58,049 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera in the 1st quarter worth approximately $209,000. 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.