23,985 Shares in Natera, Inc. $NTRA Purchased by BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp

Key Points

• British Columbia Investment Management Corp has purchased 23,985 shares of Natera, Inc., valued at approximately $3.39 million, marking a significant new investment in the medical research company.
• Analysts remain mostly positive on Natera, with price targets ranging from $195 to $255, and an average rating of "Buy" according to recent research notes.
• Insider activity shows substantial selling over the last quarter, with insiders selling approximately 58,705 shares for around $8.74 million, indicating a decrease in their holdings.

BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp bought a new position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 23,985 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $3,392,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in Natera by 117.8% in the 1st quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 220 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Natera in the 1st quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, TCTC Holdings LLC raised its stake in Natera by 114.8% in the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 232 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on NTRA shares. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $251.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $195.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research note on Sunday, August 10th. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $210.00 price objective (up previously from $190.00) on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and seventeen have assigned a Buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $193.19.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 3,045 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.40, for a total value of $418,383.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 65,430 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,990,082. The trade was a 4.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.07, for a total transaction of $471,210.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 133,205 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,922,509.35. This represents a 2.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 58,705 shares of company stock valued at $8,743,776 over the last quarter. 5.63% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Natera Trading Down 1.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $162.47 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $154.73 and a 200-day moving average of $153.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.30 billion, a PE ratio of -85.06 and a beta of 1.76. Natera, Inc. has a 12 month low of $110.57 and a 12 month high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical research company reported ($0.74) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.60) by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $546.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $476.84 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 12.89% and a negative return on equity of 22.22%. Natera's quarterly revenue was up 32.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.30) earnings per share. Natera has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.

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