Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Shares Acquired by Canada Pension Plan Investment Board

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 14.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 66,400 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,300 shares during the quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board owned 0.05% of Natera worth $10,511,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Natera by 104.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in Natera by 345.8% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Natera by 372.9% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in Natera by 20.7% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in Natera by 1,328.0% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 357 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Natera Trading Down 0.4 %

NASDAQ NTRA traded down $0.69 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $153.79. 806,949 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,383,185. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a current ratio of 4.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.79 billion, a P/E ratio of -87.38 and a beta of 1.80. The business's 50 day moving average is $147.95 and its 200-day moving average is $153.71. Natera, Inc. has a 12-month low of $90.88 and a 12-month high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.01. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The business had revenue of $476.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $447.91 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on NTRA shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Natera from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. BTIG Research restated a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $175.76.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,442 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.87, for a total transaction of $233,416.54. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 108,032 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,487,139.84. The trade was a 1.32 % decrease in their position. The sale 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 stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total transaction of $12,514,804.80. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 203,354 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 198,743 shares of company stock worth $30,558,447 in the last quarter. 7.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.