Morgan Stanley Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) had its price target boosted by Morgan Stanley from $132.00 to $176.00 in a research note released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an overweight rating on the medical research company’s stock.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on NTRA. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Natera from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Craig Hallum boosted their target price on Natera from $121.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, September 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Natera from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group raised their target price on shares of Natera from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Natera presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $137.65.

Natera Trading Down 3.3 %

NTRA stock opened at $146.06 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $127.38 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $115.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 4.01. Natera has a 1-year low of $52.01 and a 1-year high of $167.79.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.57) by $0.31. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The firm had revenue of $439.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $361.43 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.95) earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 63.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Natera will post -1.7 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other Natera news, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 2,614 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.68, for a total transaction of $333,755.52. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 7,969 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,017,481.92. This represents a 24.70 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,024 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.48, for a total transaction of $645,483.52. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 195,686 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,141,737.28. This trade represents a 2.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 36,821 shares of company stock worth $4,776,878 in the last ninety days. 7.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in shares of Natera during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Quarry LP increased its position in Natera by 148.4% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 318 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Natera by 50.0% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 324 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in shares of Natera by 34.3% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the 3rd quarter valued at about $57,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.