Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Shares Acquired by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 1,126.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 233,890 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 214,814 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned about 0.18% of Natera worth $37,025,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NTRA. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 20.7% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC grew its stake in Natera by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 3,629 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $574,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 2,963 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $470,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 104.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, Utah Retirement Systems lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Utah Retirement Systems now owns 6,200 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $981,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NTRA stock traded down $11.58 on Friday, reaching $150.99. 4,379,794 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,394,785. The company has a market cap of $20.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -85.79 and a beta of 1.79. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $92.14 and a 1 year high of $183.00. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $147.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $155.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a current ratio of 4.39.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.50) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.59) by $0.09. The company had revenue of $501.83 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $446.68 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. Natera's quarterly revenue was up 36.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.56) EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.29, for a total value of $859,740.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 143,768 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,600,516.72. This trade represents a 4.01 % 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. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 87,272 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total value of $12,514,804.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 203,354 shares in the company, valued at $29,160,963.60. This trade represents a 30.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 152,436 shares of company stock valued at $22,019,079 in the last 90 days. 7.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $251.00 price target for the company. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Natera currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $181.82.

Natera Company Profile

Natera, Inc, a diagnostics company, develops and commercializes molecular testing services worldwide. Its products include Panorama, a non-invasive prenatal test that screens for chromosomal abnormalities of a fetus, as well as in twin pregnancies; Horizon carrier screening test for individuals and couples determine if they are carriers of genetic variations that cause certain genetic conditions; Vistara single-gene NIPT screens for 25 single-gene disorders that cause severe skeletal, cardiac, and neurological conditions; Spectrum, preimplantation genetic tests for couples undergoing IVF; Anora that analyzes miscarriage tissue from women; Empower, a hereditary cancer screening test; and non-invasive prenatal paternity product, which allows a couple to establish paternity without waiting for the child to be born.