Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Reaches New 12-Month High – What’s Next?

Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $264.65 and last traded at $259.97, with a volume of 2940685 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $234.76.

Key Headlines Impacting Natera

Here are the key news stories impacting Natera this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Japan approved Signatera for colorectal cancer, making it the first PMDA-approved MRD test in the country and opening a new international market for Natera. Why Natera (NTRA) Is Up 6.7% After Japan Approves First MRD Test for Colorectal Cancer
• Positive Sentiment: Signatera also received regulatory approval in Japan for colorectal cancer, reinforcing the significance of the launch and the potential for broader commercial traction. Signatera™ Receives Regulatory Approval in Japan for Colorectal Cancer
• Positive Sentiment: Japan’s approval for Signatera has been described as a landmark win, highlighting Natera’s leadership in MRD testing and likely boosting investor confidence in the platform. Natera Secures Landmark Japan Nod For Signatera In Colorectal Cancer
• Positive Sentiment: The NCCN updated bladder cancer guidelines to recommend ctDNA-MRD testing using Signatera technology, which may further validate the product and support more testing volume. NCCN Recommends ctDNA-MRD Testing Using Signatera™ Technology in Landmark Bladder Cancer Guideline Update
• Neutral Sentiment: Natera announced a partnership with Pirche to connect transplant risk assessment with Prospera monitoring, a strategic collaboration that could broaden its transplant diagnostics workflow but is less immediately material than the Signatera news. Natera (NTRA) Teams With Pirche To Link Transplant Risk And Prospera Monitoring
• Neutral Sentiment: Barclays trimmed its price target to $260 while keeping an overweight rating, which may have capped some enthusiasm but does not change the overall bullish tone. Benzinga analyst update
• Neutral Sentiment: BTIG raised its price target to $270 and reiterated a buy rating, adding another supportive analyst signal for the stock. Benzinga analyst update

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $249.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Thursday, June 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Natera from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $260.00 price objective on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $256.24.

Natera Stock Up 10.7%

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $210.71 and a 200-day moving average price of $215.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.23 billion, a P/E ratio of -159.49 and a beta of 1.56.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 2,964 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $216.78, for a total value of $642,535.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 3,124 shares in the company, valued at approximately $677,220.72. This represents a 48.69% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Roelof Botha sold 78,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director directly owned 1,076,198 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $237,097,181.38. The trade was a 6.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 162,342 shares of company stock valued at $35,283,396. 5.05% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Robinhood Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Natera in the fourth quarter valued at $12,981,000. Systrade AG bought a new position in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter valued at $11,454,000. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Natera during the third quarter valued at $1,069,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 159,166 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $25,621,000 after purchasing an additional 8,630 shares in the last quarter. Finally, J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG acquired a new stake in shares of Natera in the 4th quarter valued at $2,825,000. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

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.