BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. Invests $705,000 in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Key Points

• BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. has invested approximately $705,000 in Natera, Inc., acquiring 4,837 shares of the medical research company.
• Several institutional investors have also increased their stakes in Natera, including Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, which now owns 66,400 shares valued at about $10.51 million.
• Natera reported a revenue of $546.60 million for the last quarter, significantly exceeding analysts' expectations, despite posting a loss of ($0.74) earnings per share.

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 4,837 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $705,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Fulton Bank N.A. lifted its position in shares of Natera by 2.0% in the first quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 3,652 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $516,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Natera by 1.5% during the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,417 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $766,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Natera by 5.0% during the first quarter. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,737 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $246,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Natera by 5.5% during the first quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,676 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $237,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Colonial Trust Co SC increased its stake in Natera by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 1,325 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $210,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $220.00 target price (up previously from $210.00) on shares of Natera in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Evercore ISI upgraded Natera to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $170.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, July 28th. Wall Street Zen lowered Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, May 17th. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $183.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Natera from $251.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and seventeen have issued a Buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Natera currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $193.19.

Natera Stock Up 2.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA traded up $3.65 during trading on Friday, reaching $165.60. 839,847 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,637,383. The firm has a market cap of $22.73 billion, a PE ratio of -86.70 and a beta of 1.76. Natera, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $110.57 and a fifty-two week high of $183.00. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $154.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $154.01.

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

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,111 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.10, for a total value of $960,038.10. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 179,071 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $28,132,054.10. This trade represents a 3.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,000 shares of the firm'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 completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 133,205 shares in the company, valued at $20,922,509.35. This trade represents a 2.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 61,792 shares of company stock valued at $9,227,972. 5.63% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.