Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Reaches New 52-Week High - What's Next?

Key Points

• Natera shares reached a new 52-week high of $347.10, with the stock supported by a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $330.83.
• The company’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations: revenue rose 37.7% year over year to $752.75 million, while its quarterly loss of $0.47 per share was narrower than analysts expected.
• Institutional ownership is substantial at 99.90%, with BlackRock initiating a position worth nearly $3.0 billion; insiders, however, sold $19.3 million of shares during the latest quarter, primarily under pre-arranged plans to cover tax obligations.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on NTRA. Guggenheim increased their target price on Natera from $290.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Natera in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $260.00 target price for the company. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $340.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, August 7th. BTIG Research increased their price target on shares of Natera from $290.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, June 5th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $245.00 price objective for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $330.83.

Natera Stock Performance

The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $298.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $242.82. The company has a market capitalization of $49.21 billion, a PE ratio of -250.14 and a beta of 1.54.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The medical research company reported ($0.47) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.49) by $0.02. The business had revenue of $752.75 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 revenue for the quarter was up 37.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.74) EPS. On average, analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In related news, insider John Fesko sold 6,517 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $321.53, for a total transaction of $2,095,411.01. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 197,257 shares in the company, valued at $63,424,043.21. The trade was a 3.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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. Also, CEO Steven Chapman sold 3,580 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.07, for a total value of $909,570.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 102,973 shares of the company's stock, valued at $26,162,350.11. This trade represents a 3.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 68,242 shares of company stock worth $19,301,534. Corporate insiders own 5.05% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Natera

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Natera during the second quarter worth $2,962,770,000. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc purchased a new stake in Natera in the 2nd quarter valued at about $5,117,000. Abbot Financial Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,537,000. Eagle Health Investments LP acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the 2nd quarter valued at about $4,302,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 3,373.1% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 11,253 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $2,251,000 after acquiring an additional 10,929 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

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.

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