Natera (NTRA Quick QuoteNTRA - Free Report) reported $367.74 million in revenue for the quarter ended March 2024, representing a year-over-year increase of 52.1%. EPS of -$0.56 for the same period compares to -$1.23 a year ago.

The reported revenue represents a surprise of +18.04% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $311.54 million. With the consensus EPS estimate being -$0.72, the EPS surprise was +22.22%.

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.

As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock's price performance more accurately.

Here is how Natera performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

• Tests Reported Volume: 679,400 compared to the 639,475 average estimate based on two analysts.
• Revenues- Product: $364.67 million versus the four-analyst average estimate of $306.97 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +53.4%.
• Revenues- Licensing and other: $3.07 million versus $3.64 million estimated by four analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a -22.5% change.

View all Key Company Metrics for Natera here>>>

Shares of Natera have returned -0.9% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -0.3% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), indicating that it could outperform the broader market in the near term.