Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Reaches New 1-Year High at $133.00

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $133.00 and last traded at $133.00, with a volume of 417 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $129.67.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 9th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $150.00 price target on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, September 13th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Natera from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on Natera from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, August 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $120.07.

Natera Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $15.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -40.74 and a beta of 1.53. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $113.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $104.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 4.14 and a quick ratio of 4.01.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 2,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.87, for a total transaction of $293,949.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 301,808 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,857,836.96. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Natera news, insider Daniel Rabinowitz sold 1,057 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.77, for a total value of $108,627.89. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 206,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,211,728. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 2,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.87, for a total transaction of $293,949.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 301,808 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,857,836.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 86,197 shares of company stock worth $9,561,358 over the last 90 days. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Natera by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,044,743 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,010,152,000 after acquiring an additional 72,848 shares during the last quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Natera by 13.6% in the second quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 4,460,557 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $483,034,000 after purchasing an additional 532,874 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 6.6% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,397,582 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $259,634,000 after purchasing an additional 148,917 shares during the last quarter. Duquesne Family Office LLC lifted its position in Natera by 2.4% during the second quarter. Duquesne Family Office LLC now owns 1,974,880 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $213,860,000 after buying an additional 45,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in Natera during the fourth quarter worth approximately $83,970,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.