Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Reaches New 12-Month High – Here’s What Happened

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $347.10 and last traded at $345.3630, with a volume of 67550 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $341.79.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on NTRA. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Natera in a report on Friday, June 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $310.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $355.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Stephens upped their target price on Natera from $305.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Rothschild & Co Redburn began coverage on Natera in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $385.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $348.00 price target on Natera in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Two research 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $330.83.

Natera Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $49.78 billion, a PE ratio of -253.92 and a beta of 1.54. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $301.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $244.71.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The medical research company reported ($0.47) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.49) by $0.02. The business had revenue of $752.75 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $661.24 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 7.11% and a negative return on equity of 11.38%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 37.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.74) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.02 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Steven Chapman sold 1,698 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.99, for a total transaction of $545,041.02. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 98,199 shares in the company, valued at $31,520,897.01. This trade represents a 1.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Michael Brophy sold 478 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.22, for a total value of $131,077.16. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 51,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,159,898.14. This represents a 0.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 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 valued at $19,301,534 over the last quarter. Insiders own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Natera

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Natera by 15.7% in the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,257 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,156,000 after buying an additional 578 shares during the period. BlueCrest Capital Management Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Natera during the 2nd quarter worth about $11,695,000. Engineers Gate Manager LP boosted its position in shares of Natera by 43.6% in the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 40,839 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $11,086,000 after acquiring an additional 12,395 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Natera by 335.3% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 23,730 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $6,441,000 after acquiring an additional 18,278 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in shares of Natera by 250.1% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 5,336 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,448,000 after acquiring an additional 3,812 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.