Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Hits New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $275.24 and last traded at $271.45, with a volume of 1371550 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $272.31.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group set a $260.00 price target on Natera in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. 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 target price for the company. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $270.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $265.00 price target on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, May 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $260.33.

Natera Stock Down 0.3%

The company has a 50-day moving average of $215.51 and a 200 day moving average of $216.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.88 billion, a PE ratio of -166.53 and a beta of 1.56.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In related news, Director Herm Rosenman sold 16,530 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $4,132,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,062,500. This trade represents a 79.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 11,000 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $217.21, for a total value of $2,389,310.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 6,183 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,343,009.43. The trade was a 64.02% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 175,872 shares of company stock worth $38,808,996. 5.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Natera

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Robinhood Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Natera during the 4th quarter valued at about $12,981,000. Systrade AG purchased a new stake in Natera during the fourth quarter worth about $11,454,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Natera during the third quarter worth about $1,069,000. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG purchased a new stake in Natera during the fourth quarter worth about $2,825,000. Finally, Meridiem Capital Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Natera during the third quarter worth about $11,900,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Natera

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.