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

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $183.00 and last traded at $169.30, with a volume of 1734013 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $175.00.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on NTRA. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Natera from $150.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Natera from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on Natera from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Natera has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $158.00.

Natera Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $22.35 billion, a PE ratio of -96.19 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a current ratio of 4.39. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $160.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $132.44.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.57) by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $439.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $361.43 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. Natera’s revenue was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($0.95) earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 1,196 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.21, for a total transaction of $141,379.16. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 110,695 shares in the company, valued at $13,085,255.95. This represents a 1.07 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 1,767 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.24, for a total value of $300,814.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,202 shares in the company, valued at $1,055,828.48. This trade represents a 22.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 123,409 shares of company stock worth $20,045,631. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,865 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,087,000 after purchasing an additional 396 shares during the period. Harbour Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Natera during the fourth quarter worth approximately $313,000. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. increased its position in shares of Natera by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 16,280 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $2,577,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Natera by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 11,001 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,741,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the period. Finally, Fulton Bank N.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 3,581 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $567,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.