Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Price Target Lowered to $160.00 at Barclays

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its target price dropped by Barclays from $200.00 to $160.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the medical research company’s stock. Barclays‘s price target would indicate a potential upside of 8.08% from the company’s previous close.

NTRA has been the subject of several other reports. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Natera from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $175.76.

Natera Trading Up 3.3 %

NASDAQ NTRA opened at $148.04 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 4.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.01 billion, a P/E ratio of -84.11 and a beta of 1.80. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $152.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $152.05. Natera has a 12 month low of $83.13 and a 12 month high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.01. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The firm had revenue of $476.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $447.91 million. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Natera will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total transaction of $12,958,888.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 267,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,150,756.13. The trade was a 22.69 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 25,931 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total transaction of $4,277,837.07. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 109,665 shares in the company, valued at $18,091,435.05. The trade was a 19.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 325,922 shares of company stock valued at $51,603,664 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Natera in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Natera by 104.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 345.8% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Natera by 372.9% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 261 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. grew its position in Natera by 20.7% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Company Profile

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.