Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Reaches New 52-Week High on Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday after UBS Group raised their price target on the stock from $218.00 to $280.00. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. Natera traded as high as $213.00 and last traded at $213.53, with a volume of 962092 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $206.04.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on NTRA. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Natera from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. BNP Paribas raised Natera to a “hold” rating and set a $172.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, October 27th. Zacks Research cut Natera from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Natera has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $220.29.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, insider John Fesko sold 928 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.46, for a total transaction of $177,674.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 150,699 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $28,852,830.54. The trade was a 0.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.60, for a total transaction of $595,800.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 112,061 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,255,314.60. The trade was a 2.61% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 223,336 shares of company stock worth $42,990,633. 5.63% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in Natera in the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Horizon Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. TCTC Holdings LLC boosted its stake in Natera by 114.8% during the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 232 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in Natera by 83.5% during the first quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 233 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. Finally, Hilltop National Bank bought a new stake in Natera in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Natera Price Performance

The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $183.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $166.54. The stock has a market cap of $29.49 billion, a P/E ratio of -93.30 and a beta of 1.75.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The medical research company reported ($0.64) 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up 34.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.26) EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

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.