Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Reaches New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $247.40 and last traded at $247.7450, with a volume of 902239 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $237.42.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on NTRA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Natera from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Natera from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Barclays increased their target price on Natera from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Natera from $190.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded Natera to a “hold” rating and set a $172.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, October 27th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $235.29.

Natera Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $34.41 billion, a PE ratio of -108.62 and a beta of 1.62. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $222.99 and a 200-day simple moving average of $184.24.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The medical research company reported ($0.64) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.39) by ($0.25). The business had revenue of $592.18 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $514.55 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 25.07% and a negative net margin of 14.61%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 34.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted ($0.26) EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Natera news, Director Roelof Botha sold 75,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.12, for a total value of $17,709,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 1,154,198 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $272,529,231.76. This trade represents a 6.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 4,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.07, for a total value of $1,047,508.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 140,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,428,837.12. This represents a 3.04% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 336,481 shares of company stock worth $72,008,879 in the last quarter. Insiders own 5.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 44.3% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,625,785 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,795,125,000 after buying an additional 3,263,822 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Natera in the second quarter valued at $277,749,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in Natera by 140.4% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,253,790 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $177,298,000 after acquiring an additional 732,156 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Natera by 37.5% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,665,013 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $428,987,000 after acquiring an additional 727,366 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Natera by 39.0% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,400,065 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $386,338,000 after acquiring an additional 673,315 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Natera

Natera is a global diagnostics company that develops and commercializes cell-free DNA and other genetic testing technologies for clinical applications. The company focuses on three principal areas: reproductive health (including non-invasive prenatal testing and carrier screening), oncology (tumor-informed assays for minimal residual disease and recurrence monitoring), and organ transplantation (cell-free DNA tests to detect allograft injury). Natera combines laboratory testing, proprietary bioinformatics, and clinical reporting to deliver personalized genetic information to clinicians and patients.

Key product offerings include Panorama, a non-invasive prenatal test that screens for fetal chromosomal abnormalities and select single-gene conditions; Horizon carrier screening for inherited conditions; Signatera, a personalized, tumor-informed assay used for detecting minimal residual disease and monitoring treatment response in cancer patients; and Prospera, a donor-derived cell-free DNA test used to assess the risk of organ rejection.