Natera's Signatera Data Suggests Select Breast Cancer Patients Could Skip Surgery

Natera Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) shares are up on Tuesday as the company announced promising results from a prospective study regarding its Signatera molecular residual disease (MRD) test. • Natera stock is showing exceptional strength. What’s fueling NTRA momentum? Signatera Study: MRD-Negative Patients Skip Surgery The study published in Clinical Cancer Research shows that Signatera was able to identify older women with early-stage ER+/HER2- breast cancer who can be managed with primary endocrine therapy (PET), without surgery. PET remains a non-surgical option for select early breast cancer patients, though risk stratification and monitoring tools have been limited. Signatera Identifies Patients Who May Avoid Surgery The prospective study evaluated 43 women aged over 70 years with stage 1–3 ER+/HER2- breast cancer who opted for PET over surgery. Patients underwent Signatera testing at baseline and every three to six months, alongside standard imaging and clinical assessments. Sixty-eight percent (23/34) were MRD-negative pre-treatment, with zero disease progression observed (100% negative predictive value). Patients Show Clearance With Therapy Of 11 baseline MRD-positive patients, 64% (7/11) cleared ctDNA within six months of PET. All remained free of distant progression; one case of locoregional progression was detected by Signatera ahead of imaging. All five patients who experienced tumor progression were MRD-positive before radiographic detection, indicating 100% longitudinal sensitivity. Over 80% of patients reported that Signatera informed treatment decisions without increasing anxiety. Signatera demonstrated strong predictive accuracy and early-detection capability in a PET setting, supporting its potential utility for non-surgical breast cancer management and longitudinal monitoring. NTRA 11.5% Below 100-Day SMA Natera is currently trading 1.3% below its 20-day simple moving average (SMA) and 11.5% below its 100-day SMA, indicating some short-term weakness. However, shares have increased 37.56% over the past 12 months and are positioned closer to their 52-week highs than lows, reflecting a strong longer-term trend. The RSI is at 39.27, which is considered neutral territory, suggesting that the stock is neither overbought nor oversold. Meanwhile, the MACD is at -5.4736, below its signal line at -5.1704, indicating bearish pressure on the stock. The combination of neutral RSI and bearish MACD suggests mixed momentum, indicating that traders should watch for potential shifts in momentum. Key Resistance: $204.50 Key Support: $194 Analyst Consensus & Recent Actions: The stock carries a Buy Rating with an average price target of $248.06. Recent analyst moves include: Morgan Stanley: Overweight (Lowers target to $250 on March 3) Wells Fargo: Equal-Weight (Raises target to $215 on Feb. 27) Evercore ISI Group: Outperform (Raises target to $260 on Feb. 27) Natera Benzinga Edge: Momentum Score 70.71 Below is the Benzinga Edge scorecard for Natera, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses compared to the broader market: Momentum: Strong (Score: 70.71) — Stock is outperforming the broader market. The Verdict: Natera’s Benzinga Edge signal reveals a momentum-driven story, indicating strong performance in the current market environment. NTRA Stock Price Activity: Natera shares were up 5.26% at $196.68 at the time of publication on Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro data. Image via Shutterstock