Artemis Investment Management LLP Boosts Stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Artemis Investment Management LLP raised its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 54.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 198,778 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 69,751 shares during the quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP owned 0.15% of Natera worth $28,109,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of NTRA. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Natera during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of Natera by 117.8% in the first quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 220 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera in the first quarter valued at about $32,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 223.7% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 301 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 208 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Natera by 372.9% during the 4th 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. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Natera Stock Up 2.4%

NTRA stock opened at $168.17 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $22.96 billion, a PE ratio of -114.40 and a beta of 1.74. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $158.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $158.58. Natera, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $92.14 and a fifty-two week high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.50) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.59) by $0.09. The company had revenue of $501.83 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $446.68 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 10.36% and a negative return on equity of 18.29%. Natera's revenue was up 36.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($0.56) earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on NTRA shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, May 17th. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, February 28th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Natera from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $184.63.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Natera news, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.44, for a total value of $657,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 5,704 shares in the company, valued at $937,965.76. This represents a 41.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 9,563 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.41, for a total value of $1,323,614.83. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 212,541 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $29,417,799.81. The trade was a 4.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 59,755 shares of company stock worth $8,898,589. 7.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Natera 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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