Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Hits New 1-Year High at $120.18

Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $120.18 and last traded at $118.75, with a volume of 48164 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $118.50.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NTRA has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Natera from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Natera in a research note on Monday, June 3rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $142.00 price objective for the company. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on Natera from $100.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price target on Natera from $120.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Natera has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $119.07.

Natera Trading Up 1.2 %

The company has a quick ratio of 3.98, a current ratio of 4.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $108.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $96.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.73 billion, a P/E ratio of -37.98 and a beta of 1.48.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.30) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.69) by $0.39. Natera had a negative net margin of 30.24% and a negative return on equity of 49.72%. The company had revenue of $413.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $343.00 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.97) earnings per share. Natera’s revenue for the quarter was up 58.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -2.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 2,700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.82, for a total transaction of $307,314.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 299,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $34,082,374.62. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Natera news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 2,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.82, for a total value of $307,314.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 299,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $34,082,374.62. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,496 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.66, for a total transaction of $613,683.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 207,855 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,209,089.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 84,308 shares of company stock valued at $9,128,555 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in Natera during the second quarter worth about $28,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Natera by 50.0% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 324 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Natera during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 47.8% during the 1st quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI now owns 538 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

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.