Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Reaches New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $371.59 and last traded at $366.2210, with a volume of 2446 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $369.39.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded shares of Natera from an “outperform” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Stephens boosted their price target on Natera from $305.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Natera from $315.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Natera from $315.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn began coverage on Natera in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $385.00 price target on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $330.83.

Natera Stock Up 0.4%

The company has a market cap of $53.44 billion, a P/E ratio of -271.60 and a beta of 1.54. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $305.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $247.02.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In related news, CEO Steven Chapman sold 1,698 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.99, for a total value of $545,041.02. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 98,199 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,520,897.01. The trade was a 1.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 15,160 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.89, for a total value of $4,955,652.40. Following the transaction, the insider owned 110,859 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,238,698.51. This trade represents a 12.03% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 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 have sold a total of 68,242 shares of company stock valued at $19,301,534 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 5.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 5.5% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 905 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $181,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG increased its position in Natera by 48.5% during the 2nd quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG now owns 150 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Corp lifted its stake in Natera by 5.5% in the 1st quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 982 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $196,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Alamea Verwaltungs GmbH boosted its position in Natera by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Alamea Verwaltungs GmbH now owns 2,229 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $515,000 after buying an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 5.3% during the first quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 1,246 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $249,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Natera Company Profile

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.