Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Reaches New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $133.88 and last traded at $133.32, with a volume of 722470 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $130.39.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. 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. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Natera from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com upgraded Natera from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on Natera from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.69.

Natera Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $16.59 billion, a PE ratio of -54.74 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a quick ratio of 4.01, a current ratio of 4.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $124.35 and a 200-day moving average price of $113.75.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.30) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.69) by $0.39. Natera had a negative return on equity of 36.74% and a negative net margin of 21.47%. The firm had revenue of $413.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $343.00 million. During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.97) earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 58.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,583 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.91, for a total value of $663,874.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 200,710 shares in the company, valued at $23,866,426.10. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,583 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.91, for a total transaction of $663,874.53. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 200,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,866,426.10. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.01, for a total value of $1,452,120.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 287,441 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,783,235.41. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 50,164 shares of company stock worth $6,157,291 over the last three months. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Natera

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in Natera in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Quarry LP grew its holdings in Natera by 148.4% in the second 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 grew its holdings in Natera by 50.0% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 324 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in Natera by 34.3% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. Finally, Tobam acquired a new stake in Natera in the second quarter valued at approximately $74,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.