Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Reaches New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $175.70 and last traded at $175.53, with a volume of 715692 shares. The stock had previously closed at $170.40.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Natera from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Natera from $132.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Natera from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Leerink Partners upped their target price on Natera from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $153.67.

Natera Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 4.23. The company has a market capitalization of $23.32 billion, a P/E ratio of -100.35 and a beta of 1.65. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $157.01 and its 200-day moving average is $131.05.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.57) by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $439.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $361.43 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.95) earnings per share. Analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Natera news, insider John Fesko sold 669 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.60, for a total value of $106,772.40. Following the sale, the insider now owns 114,142 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,217,063.20. The trade was a 0.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 1,767 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.24, for a total transaction of $300,814.08. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 6,202 shares in the company, valued at $1,055,828.48. This represents a 22.17 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 127,932 shares of company stock valued at $20,635,430. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Quarry LP raised its position in Natera by 148.4% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 318 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 345.8% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd grew its position in shares of Natera by 34.3% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Natera by 32.7% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 430 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Company Profile

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.