Deutsche Bank AG Buys 160,243 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Key Points

• Deutsche Bank AG increased its stake in Natera, Inc. by 185.8% in the first quarter, owning approximately 0.18% of the company worth $34.85 million after purchasing an additional 160,243 shares.
• Natera reported a quarterly revenue of $546.60 million, exceeding analysts' expectations of $476.84 million, although it reported a loss of ($0.74) EPS, missing the expected ($0.60) EPS.
• Analysts remain optimistic, with multiple brokerages maintaining an "overweight" rating and setting price targets ranging from $170.00 to $220.00, reflecting confidence in Natera's future performance.

Deutsche Bank AG increased its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 185.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 246,482 shares of the medical research company's stock after buying an additional 160,243 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG owned 0.18% of Natera worth $34,855,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in Natera in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in Natera in the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its position in Natera by 117.8% in the 1st quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 220 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC bought a new position in Natera in the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, TCTC Holdings LLC lifted its position in Natera by 114.8% in the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 232 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $220.00 price target (up previously from $210.00) on shares of Natera in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, August 8th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Natera from $211.00 to $218.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $210.00 target price (up previously from $190.00) on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised shares of Natera to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $170.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Natera currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $193.19.

Natera Trading Up 2.9%

Shares of NTRA stock traded up $4.58 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $163.02. 1,502,326 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,693,905. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $155.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $154.75. Natera, Inc. has a 52-week low of $110.57 and a 52-week high of $183.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -85.35 and a beta of 1.76.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). Natera had a negative net margin of 12.89% and a negative return on equity of 22.22%. The business had revenue of $546.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $476.84 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.30) earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 32.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,111 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.10, for a total transaction of $960,038.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 179,071 shares in the company, valued at $28,132,054.10. The trade was a 3.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 4,299 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.36, for a total transaction of $719,480.64. Following the transaction, the director owned 8,118 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,358,628.48. This trade represents a 34.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 61,792 shares of company stock valued at $9,227,972 over the last 90 days. 5.63% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.