Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Shares Cross Above 50 Day Moving Average Following Insider Selling

Key Points

• Natera shares moved above their 50-day moving average, reaching $398.03 before last trading at $388.63; the 50-day average was $379.22.
• Analysts have a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $394.31, with recent targets ranging as high as $475.
• Natera reported quarterly revenue of $752.75 million, up 37.7% year over year and above consensus; its adjusted loss per share was also slightly better than analysts expected.

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) crossed above its 50-day moving average during trading on Tuesday after an insider bought additional shares in the company. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $379.22 and traded as high as $398.03. Natera shares last traded at $388.63, with a volume of 3,880,845 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on NTRA. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Natera from $249.00 to $363.50 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Natera from $350.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Natera from $355.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, October 12th. BTIG Research upped their price objective on Natera from $320.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 27th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on Natera from $340.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Natera presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $394.31.

Natera Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $56.02 billion, a P/E ratio of -285.76 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $379.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $267.89.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The medical research company reported ($0.47) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.49) by $0.02. The company had revenue of $752.75 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $661.24 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 11.38% and a negative net margin of 7.11%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 37.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.74) EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.14 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Natera during the 2nd quarter worth about $2,962,770,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the second quarter valued at about $199,960,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of Natera in the second quarter valued at about $150,143,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Natera in the second quarter valued at about $149,278,000. Finally, Avala Global LP bought a new stake in shares of Natera in the second quarter valued at about $124,867,000. 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 designed to provide personalized genetic and genomic information. Its tests are used across reproductive health, oncology and organ transplantation, with the company combining next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics to analyze DNA and monitor disease-related signals.

In reproductive health, Natera offers Panorama noninvasive prenatal screening, Horizon carrier screening and Vistara single-gene disorder screening.

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