Federated Hermes Inc. Grows Stock Position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 5.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 668,024 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 34,361 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. owned about 0.49% of Natera worth $94,465,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in shares of Natera by 134.9% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,742,428 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,067,327,000 after acquiring an additional 3,871,862 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 15.7% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,240,041 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $512,898,000 after purchasing an additional 439,778 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,232,681 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $355,809,000 after purchasing an additional 142,201 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 40.0% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,538,875 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $243,604,000 after purchasing an additional 439,540 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Castle Hook Partners LP increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 1,222,578 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $193,534,000 after purchasing an additional 82,488 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Natera Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA traded up $0.92 during trading on Friday, reaching $134.58. 1,165,817 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,493,227. Natera, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $92.14 and a fifty-two week high of $183.00. The firm has a market cap of $18.38 billion, a PE ratio of -91.55 and a beta of 1.73. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $157.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $156.09.

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

Insider Transactions at Natera

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,092 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.81, for a total value of $851,722.52. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 169,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,683,814. The trade was a 3.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 3,045 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.40, for a total transaction of $418,383.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 65,430 shares in the company, valued at $8,990,082. This trade represents a 4.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 48,936 shares of company stock valued at $7,483,846. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 17th. Barclays upped their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Natera from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Natera from $211.00 to $218.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded Natera to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $170.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $183.76.

About Natera

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.