Forsta AP Fonden Invests $3.63 Million in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Key Points

• Forsta AP Fonden acquired a new position in Natera, Inc., purchasing 25,700 shares valued at approximately $3.6 million in the first quarter.
• Multiple institutional investors have increased their stakes in Natera, with Sterling Capital Management boosting its position by 608.6% during the fourth quarter.
• Natera reported a revenue increase of 32.2% year-over-year, despite missing analyst EPS estimates for the quarter, reflecting ongoing growth in its medical research services.

Forsta AP Fonden acquired a new stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 25,700 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $3,634,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 69.3% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 96,136 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $15,218,000 after buying an additional 39,340 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its holdings in Natera by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 51,820 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $8,203,000 after purchasing an additional 910 shares during the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Natera by 22.8% during the fourth quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 3,381 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $535,000 after purchasing an additional 627 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in Natera by 42.7% during the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 531 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $84,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Natera by 608.6% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 14,647 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $2,319,000 after purchasing an additional 12,580 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on NTRA shares. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and set a $220.00 price target (up from $210.00) on shares of Natera in a report on Monday, August 11th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Natera to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $170.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, July 28th. Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, August 8th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $211.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $193.19.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Natera news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 875 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.46, for a total value of $136,027.50. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 123,859 shares in the company, valued at $19,255,120.14. This represents a 0.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 2,496 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.17, for a total transaction of $332,392.32. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 5,763 shares in the company, valued at $767,458.71. This represents a 30.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 61,792 shares of company stock worth $9,227,972. Company insiders own 5.63% of the company's stock.

Natera Trading Up 2.9%

Shares of NTRA stock traded up $4.58 during trading on Friday, reaching $163.02. 1,502,326 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,693,905. The company has a market capitalization of $22.37 billion, a P/E ratio of -85.35 and a beta of 1.76. The firm's 50-day moving average is $155.18 and its 200 day moving average is $154.75. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $110.57 and a 1 year high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical research company reported ($0.74) EPS 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $476.84 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($0.30) earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 32.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share 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.