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

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $168.88 and last traded at $168.71, with a volume of 964046 shares. The stock had previously closed at $162.10.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NTRA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Craig Hallum lifted their price objective on Natera from $121.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 price target on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Natera from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.59.

Natera Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $22.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -92.10 and a beta of 1.53. The business has a fifty day moving average of $128.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $116.64. 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 (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 return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The company had revenue of $439.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $361.43 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.95) EPS. Natera’s quarterly revenue was up 63.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 4,728 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.41, for a total transaction of $692,226.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 185,034 shares in the company, valued at $27,090,827.94. The trade was a 2.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 256 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.07, for a total transaction of $30,737.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 111,891 shares in the company, valued at $13,434,752.37. This represents a 0.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 36,821 shares of company stock worth $4,776,878. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new position in Natera during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Quarry LP lifted its position in Natera by 148.4% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 318 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 50.0% in the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in shares of 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, True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the third quarter worth about $57,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

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.