Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Reaches New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?
by Doug Wharley · The Cerbat GemNatera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA – Get Free Report)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $347.10 and last traded at $345.3630, with a volume of 67550 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $341.79.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
NTRA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Natera from $249.00 to $363.50 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Rothschild & Co Redburn started coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $385.00 price objective for the company. BTIG Research upped their price objective on Natera from $290.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Natera in a research report on Friday, June 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $245.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded Natera from an “outperform” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Natera currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $330.83.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Natera
Natera Price Performance
The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $298.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $242.82. The company has a market capitalization of $49.21 billion, a PE ratio of -250.14 and a beta of 1.54.
Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The medical research company reported ($0.47) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.49) by $0.02. Natera had a negative return on equity of 11.38% and a negative net margin of 7.11%.The company had revenue of $752.75 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $661.24 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.74) earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 37.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Insider Activity
In other Natera news, insider John Fesko sold 6,517 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $321.53, for a total value of $2,095,411.01. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 197,257 shares in the company, valued at $63,424,043.21. This represents a 3.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Michael Brophy sold 2,419 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.96, for a total transaction of $614,329.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 54,295 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,788,758.20. This trade represents a 4.27% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 68,242 shares of company stock worth $19,301,534 in the last ninety days. 5.05% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera
A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NTRA. Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new stake in shares of Natera during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new stake in Natera during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Natera during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Palladiem LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Continuum Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.
About Natera
Natera, Inc is a diagnostics company that develops and commercializes molecular testing services based on cell-free DNA and other genomic technologies. The company focuses on reproductive health, oncology and organ health, providing tests intended to support screening, diagnosis, treatment planning and disease monitoring.
Its reproductive health portfolio includes Panorama, a noninvasive prenatal test that screens for certain chromosomal conditions, and Horizon, a carrier screening test.