Leerink Partnrs Has Positive View of Natera FY2024 Earnings

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) – Analysts at Leerink Partnrs lifted their FY2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Natera in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, January 21st. Leerink Partnrs analyst P. Souda now expects that the medical research company will earn ($1.27) per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of ($1.61). The consensus estimate for Natera’s current full-year earnings is ($1.61) per share. Leerink Partnrs also issued estimates for Natera’s Q4 2024 earnings at ($0.16) EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at ($0.36) EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at ($0.31) EPS and Q4 2025 earnings at ($0.19) EPS.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.57) by $0.31. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The company had revenue of $439.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $361.43 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.95) EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on NTRA. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on Natera from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Natera from $150.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Leerink Partners lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Natera from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $160.63.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $171.93 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a current ratio of 4.39. Natera has a one year low of $62.96 and a one year high of $183.00. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $165.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $135.41.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 691 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.81, for a total value of $82,097.71. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 72,709 shares in the company, valued at $8,638,556.29. This trade represents a 0.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total transaction of $12,958,888.41. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 224,824 shares of company stock valued at $36,912,749. Insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Natera

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NTRA. Verde Servicos Internacionais S.A. bought a new position in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $317,000. KBC Group NV grew its position in Natera by 753.8% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 27,551 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $4,361,000 after acquiring an additional 24,324 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Natera by 104.3% in the fourth 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 period. Narwhal Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter worth $1,029,000. Finally, Berbice Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter worth $174,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.