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Natera Gains Medicare Coverage for WGS Signatera, Leerink Reaffirms Price Target

Natera Gains Medicare Coverage for WGS Signatera, Leerink Reaffirms Price Target

Yahoo5 days ago

Natera Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) is one of billionaire Stan Druckenmiller's top stock picks with huge upside potential. Leerink Partners analysts reiterated their Outperform rating on Natera Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) on June 4. Given recent adjustments to Medicare's reimbursement of Natera's WGS Signatera assay, the analysts maintained their price target for the company at $220.
Natera Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) recently revealed that MolDX had approved Medicare coverage for its WGS Signatera assay. The update followed the findings of a bridging study that showed similar performance between the WGS Signatera and the previously released WES Signatera. The WGS Signatera assay has been expanded to encompass a number of ailments, including colorectal cancer, breast cancer, bladder cancer, and pan-cancer immunotherapy monitoring.
Analysts expect that WES Signatera will continue to dominate Signatera volumes in the near term, despite the recent coverage. That said, now that it is eligible for reimbursement, the WGS Signatera assay may see a modest rise in usage.
One of the top providers of cell-free DNA and genetic testing, Natera Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) focuses primarily on women's health, cancer, and organ health.
While we acknowledge the potential of NTRA as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.
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Retailer Stablecoins Are A Real Opportunity For Stable Retailers
Retailer Stablecoins Are A Real Opportunity For Stable Retailers

Forbes

time26 minutes ago

  • Forbes

Retailer Stablecoins Are A Real Opportunity For Stable Retailers

People shop at a Walmart in Rosemead, California, on April 11, 2025 (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP ... More via Getty Images). The Wall Street Journal reports that some big players, including Walmart and Amazon, are exploring the idea of issuing their own retailer stablecoins in order to bypass the 'traditional' payment systems and exploit their 'troves of data'. This makes them a threat to banks, including regional and community lenders. Whether they succeed in stablecoins or not, the fact remains that retailers may have a much bigger role in the future of fintech. Retailer Stablecoins Are Within Reach Walmart is, of course, a focus for those of us looking at the retail/fintech possibilities and they have been looking in this direction for some time. Back in 2022, CTO Suresh Kumar said that crypto will become "an important payment tool" across the Metaverse and social media, as these will be the spaces where consumers discover new products. (Walmart are active in many directions here: their Mastercard credit card is expected to launch this fall, with the experience embedded inside the OnePay app.) The noted venture capitalists Andreessen Horowitz single out Walmart in their argument for 'how stablecoins will eat payments' pointing out that Walmart made $648 billion in annual revenue and $15.5 billion in profit, but paid $10 billion in fees to the payment networks (they also point out that for another supermarket chain, Krogers, net income and payment fees are approximately equal). Thus, they say, greater stablecoin adoption would significantly improve profitability in many businesses, including small businesses like coffee shops or restaurants. Stable or unstable? I am not commenting on their math, other than to say that payment fees cover a lot more than the cost of the payment and when considering the costs and benefits, it is also important to look at what additional services might be cross sold from payments. I might also comment that stablecoins are not the only way to drive down these costs and as Richard Crone points out that adding adding a pay-by-bank capability inside a retailer's wallet, such as OnePay, with the attendant anti-fraud benefits such as strong user authentication, could result in significant savings. Real-time payments have been around since 2017 thanks to The Clearing House starting the RTP network that year, but only some banks have adopted the new tool, and those that have signed up have had tepid uptake in the marketplace. The launch in 2023 of the Federal Reserve's competing instant system, FedNow, has boosted adoption by banks, but real world use remains limited: Walmart might change that. Sarah Arnio, Walmart's director of digital payments recently said that 'We're really bullish on instant payments and hoping to move forward with them within the next year'. Now, Walmart already gives customers the option to sign up on its website to be able to pay directly from a bank account, moving those payments via low-cost automated clearing house transfers (ACH) transfers but Arnio sees this as a 'stepping stone' to faster instant payments because "We at Walmart really have a drive internally to speed up everything'.. Looking beyond the current payments landscape, Walmart are also exploring AI-driven shopping assistants as an entirely new type of customer, distinct from traditional consumers, and they will need ways to pay too, as well as exploring a future where consumers may opt for third-party shopping agents built by technology firms, ensuring its systems are adaptable to external AI-driven purchasing solutions. (Walmart know, as I am fond on repeating, that AI agents won't just facilitate transactions in existing processes, they will reshape the entire retail experience.) They are also taking their first steps into the metaverse, the coming augmented and virtual reality space where customers will go to work, rest and play. They have their Walmart Realm to experiment with more 'engaging' buying options. Justin Breton, Walmart's director of brand experiences says that they are following three trends here: customers enjoy brands more when they have unique virtual experiences; customers want to be entertained while shopping; and customers are inspired by virtual games where they can purchase items they discover'. I've used Walmart as the example here but of course all big retailers must be looking at these new technologies with some similar ideas. Partly because of reduced costs and increased speed but also because of the potential for new business models. One advocate is Shopify, which recently announced it has already started allowing customers to pay with popular stablecoin USDC allow their small business base to tap into global markets. As they said in rheir press release, 'Small businesses should be able to sell to a customer on the other side of the world as easily as their next-door neighbor'. All in all, you can see why retailers might be motivated to move now, although it is fair to observe, as Brady Dale does, it would be on them to find a way to convince customers to hold enough stablecoins to fund their purchases The Bank Response To Retailer Stablecoins So what does the mean for banks? Tom Brown's summary seems pretty accurate to me. That so, stablecoins are having a moment [and] all of this attention has left large banks with a very bad case of FOMO. The fear may be justified. Ron Shevlin, a well-respected industry analysts, says that stablecoins could divert significant transaction volume—and core deposits—away from banks as retailers, fintechs, and Big Techs issue branded stablecoins that lead consumers to move cash into stablecoins for convenience, rewards, or programmability. It is hard to disagree with him when he says that for some people stablecoins become functional equivalents of bank deposits—but without the FDIC insurance, relationship ties, or regulatory protections banks provide. As Ron points out, this risk isn't theoretical: Deposit displacement has been happening for years. A new study from Cornerstone Advisors found that $2.15 trillion has already left banks for fintech investment accounts—two-third of it from Gen Xers and Baby Boomers. This is on top of the estimated $10 billion that Americans have sitting in merchant mobile apps like Starbucks' in any given week. So how can banks, who enjoy a great income stream from interchange right now, position themselves for a world of retailer stablecoins and instant payments? The networks have already been active—they are not sitting back and waiting—but on the general assumption that payments margins are on the way down, the banks' strategic response should be to add value around the transactions, not to try and survive off of shrinking interchange in the face of competition from non-card alternatives such as Walmart Pay-By-Bank or an Amazon coin. Those services might, for example, include safety and security, data and decisioning, not only the payments themselves.

Woman plans trip to Europe as boyfriend's 'dying mother' battles cancer: 'Might be faking'
Woman plans trip to Europe as boyfriend's 'dying mother' battles cancer: 'Might be faking'

Fox News

time29 minutes ago

  • Fox News

Woman plans trip to Europe as boyfriend's 'dying mother' battles cancer: 'Might be faking'

A personal drama has gone viral online as a young woman reached out to others for help in navigating her sticky travel situation. After a great deal of back and forth, she said she's now "refusing to help my boyfriend's dying mother while planning a trip to Europe" — and wondered what others thought. Fox News Digital reached out to a clinical psychologist for insight as people on Reddit weighed in on the drama. Describing herself as 25 years old, the woman said she lives with her boyfriend — and about a month ago, his mom "began claiming she's dying of cancer, but no diagnosis has been confirmed. Every hospital visit ends with her being sent home. A nurse even [said] she might be faking," the woman wrote. The mother asked to "stay one night" at the couple's small apartment, which "turned into a week of chaos," said the young woman. "The apartment smelled awful, everything had to be dark and silent, and she constantly demanded help," the woman wrote. Then the mother "suggested we move in with her, an hour from our jobs/school." The young woman said she's a full-time student currently holding two jobs, and she began "falling behind." Her boyfriend changed his full-time job to a fully remote position so he could care for his mother, the young woman added. The health updates "were always shifting," however, she said. "MRI, canceled surgery, then chemo postponed due to infection, then E. coli. Always a new reason. No clear diagnosis or paperwork," she continued. The young woman then described a scenario in which "we were supposed to take her to the ER … but we ended up staying 16 hours [at the mother's home] doing chores. I folded 420 clothing items, cleaned the whole house, and felt like her unpaid maid. Not a single please or thank you." She went on, "She was stalling to go to the ER, and when we finally got there at 5 a.m., she said she'd check herself in and sent us home. Three hours later, she called again, sobbing for help. She had been rejected by the ER." Wrote the woman, "I suspect she faked it." The young woman said she and her boyfriend had been "skipping meals, losing sleep and falling behind at work to help her." "If it were your mom, would you help her?" To further complicate things, the mother's boyfriend, an apparent alcoholic, began sending the young couple "aggressive texts" — then "later apologized," according to the thread. The mother then "called again begging for help. But this time, she wanted me … I needed that weekend to study for final exams. And going to that house alone seemed sketchy." The young woman said she's now planning a "Europe trip to see my mom, whom I haven't seen in over a year." While the boyfriend said he supports her trip of several weeks, he also told her she was being "a little selfish," the woman wrote. The boyfriend apparently asked her, "If I were dying, would you quit your job to be with me?" and "If it were your mom, would you help her?" The woman said she "felt pressured to say yes. But truth is, my family wouldn't lie to me or use me like this." The woman concluded that she "loves" her boyfriend and wants "to be there for him. But I don't trust his mom, and this is starting to affect our relationship." She then wondered if she was wrong for "going home to Europe." Some 5,000 people have reacted to the personal situation to date — with the vast majority siding with the stressed young woman. "Why is his family more important than yours?" Wrote a top commenter, "I know you love your boyfriend, but you need to ask yourself if you're willing to give up your own life for him and his mom, because it's never going to stop. It could stop if he chooses to set boundaries, but it doesn't sound like he'll do that." Wrote another person, "Break up. Move out. Go on vacation. Stop dealing with crazy mom and [boyfriend]." Said yet another individual, "Why is his family more important than yours? I would tell him that he should move her to assisted living or an apartment and hire help. Let him know that while you love him, you are not lighting your future on fire to help someone who won't help themselves." And yet another person wrote, "Stay in Europe would be my advice." The person added, "Sounds exhausting."

How F1 aims to enter its 'biggest untapped market' with new arcade experience
How F1 aims to enter its 'biggest untapped market' with new arcade experience

Yahoo

time33 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

How F1 aims to enter its 'biggest untapped market' with new arcade experience

Listen and subscribe to Sports Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. Formula One racing has become increasingly popular in the US, and F1 is looking to appeal to more than just racing fans with the rollout of F1 Arcade locations across the country. F1 Arcade, which entertains guests with live racing simulators and a variety of food and drink, has already opened locations in three US cities this year, and it plans to open three more. Residents in Boston, Las Vegas, Denver, Austin, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., will have the opportunity to dive into the newest experience. F1 Arcade global president of development Jon Gardner said on Yahoo Finance's Sports Report podcast that the US is currently "the biggest untapped market" for F1. In Las Vegas alone, those who attend F1 events spend an estimated four times as much as other Vegas visitors. Liberty Media (FWONB) has also inked a 10-year, $600 million deal, bringing the internationally popular races to the city. Gardner emphasized that partnerships like this and interactive experiences, like F1 Arcade, will only help expand F1's reach and build a bigger audience. "You might not be interested in Formula One, but you might be interested in the driver or what they're interested in, and then that's your gateway into this,' Gardner said. "[Formula One is] putting a lot of resource and capital behind the US. I think they see us as a matter of funnel for them, attracting the F1 fans with the non-F1 fans who, again, might want a night out, might want to do something fun that they have not done before. And then that creates more interest in the overall sport." Gardner discussed how the partnership with the increasingly popular racing brand has a wider appeal. "This is not just for F1 fans," Gardner said. "Yes, we want F1 fans to come here, but this is for people that want a new experience and to try something they've not had before." He explained that F1 Arcade is marketed toward a more general audience for "date night, group events, [and] social events." And the pursuit of non-fans has guided F1 Arcade's strategy when choosing new branch locations. Gardner said F1 Arcade isn't necessarily "shying away" from markets where F1 already has a following, but at the same time, "It's also looking where the right location is in the right time." He continued, "We have big sites; they're not the easiest to find. ... So finding the right partners from a landlord, finding the right deal structure, and then finding the right area that we feel like we can get involved in, in a deep way, all those things come together to create where we end up." Gardner thinks the F1 Arcade can cater to American consumers' desire for unique experiences, drawing a wide audience for a few memorable visits rather than creating more consistent customers. Between 2019 and 2023, Americans increased their spending on experiences by 65%, according to Forbes. "We [want] people to come back, and that repeat [customer] is very important to us, but ultimately they're not coming back to us 30 times a year, right?" Gardner said. "So they come back to us three, four times a year, that's amazing. But they're going to fill other weekends and other date nights out going other places." Ultimately, Gardner feels the memorable experience the F1 Arcade offers will draw fans and non-fans alike. "I also think people want new experiences," he said. "I think attention spans are getting shorter, people want to be able to interact, and they're not going into the office maybe as they used to. So people are finding ways to connect with colleagues and their partners and find something to do while they're having a drink or having food." Every Thursday, Sports Report with Joe Pompliano coaches you through the latest sports business news so you can play the financial game for financial gain. You can find more episodes on our video hub or watch on your preferred streaming service. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

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