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

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $288.04 and last traded at $283.80, with a volume of 1358446 shares. The stock had previously closed at $279.32.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on NTRA. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Robert W. Baird set a $265.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, May 8th. William Blair began coverage on Natera in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Natera from $260.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $262.00.

Natera Trading Down 2.4%

The stock has a market cap of $39.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -168.34 and a beta of 1.51. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $224.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $218.38.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In related news, Director Roelof Botha sold 78,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.31, for a total transaction of $17,184,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 1,076,198 shares in the company, valued at approximately $237,097,181.38. The trade was a 6.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Herm Rosenman sold 16,530 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $4,132,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,250 shares in the company, valued at $1,062,500. The trade was a 79.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 178,872 shares of company stock valued at $39,627,696. 5.05% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natera

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NTRA. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new stake in Natera during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Natera during the second quarter worth $30,000. Palladiem LLC purchased a new stake in Natera in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Horizon Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Natera in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Natera by 132.9% in the 1st quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 170 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Natera Company Profile

Natera is a global diagnostics company that develops and commercializes cell-free DNA and other genetic testing technologies for clinical applications. The company focuses on three principal areas: reproductive health (including non-invasive prenatal testing and carrier screening), oncology (tumor-informed assays for minimal residual disease and recurrence monitoring), and organ transplantation (cell-free DNA tests to detect allograft injury). Natera combines laboratory testing, proprietary bioinformatics, and clinical reporting to deliver personalized genetic information to clinicians and patients.

Key product offerings include Panorama, a non-invasive prenatal test that screens for fetal chromosomal abnormalities and select single-gene conditions; Horizon carrier screening for inherited conditions; Signatera, a personalized, tumor-informed assay used for detecting minimal residual disease and monitoring treatment response in cancer patients; and Prospera, a donor-derived cell-free DNA test used to assess the risk of organ rejection.