Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Reaches New 52-Week High – Here’s Why

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $173.50 and last traded at $172.64, with a volume of 535295 shares. The stock had previously closed at $169.17.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on NTRA shares. BTIG Research upped their price objective on Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Leerink Partners increased their price objective on shares of Natera from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Natera from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.59.

Natera Stock Up 2.9 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $22.97 billion, a PE ratio of -96.12 and a beta of 1.63. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $137.36 and its 200-day moving average is $121.28. The company has a quick ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The firm had revenue of $439.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $361.43 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.95) earnings per share. Natera’s revenue was up 63.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,024 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.48, for a total value of $645,483.52. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 195,686 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,141,737.28. This represents a 2.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 9,682 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.98, for a total value of $1,548,926.36. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 9,704 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,552,445.92. This represents a 49.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 46,503 shares of company stock worth $6,325,804 over the last quarter. 7.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Natera during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Quarry LP raised its stake 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 position in Natera by 50.0% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 324 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd raised its position in Natera by 34.3% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in Natera during the third quarter valued at $57,000. 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.