IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd Increases Holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Key Points

• IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd increased its holdings in Natera, Inc. by 82.1% during the first quarter, owning 7,044 shares valued at $996,000 by the end of the period.
• Recent analyst reports show growing optimism for Natera, with Barclays raising their price target from $160.00 to $190.00 and Piper Sandler from $205.00 to $210.00, while the stock currently holds an average rating of "Moderate Buy".
• Insider trading activity revealed that CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold over 6,000 shares at around $139.81 each, reducing their ownership stake in the company.

IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 82.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,044 shares of the medical research company's stock after buying an additional 3,175 shares during the period. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd's holdings in Natera were worth $996,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 30.8% during the first quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,986 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $308,000 after acquiring an additional 468 shares during the period. Amalgamated Bank boosted its position in shares of Natera by 9.8% during the first quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 8,293 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,173,000 after purchasing an additional 740 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Natera by 32.3% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 848 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $120,000 after purchasing an additional 207 shares during the period. Teza Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $221,000. Finally, Asset Management One Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Natera in the 1st quarter worth $6,753,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Natera Trading Up 2.1%

Shares of NTRA traded up $2.95 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $141.08. 3,308,322 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,403,294. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $101.36 and a 52 week high of $183.00. The company has a market cap of $19.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -95.97 and a beta of 1.76. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $155.69 and a 200 day simple moving average of $155.19.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical research company reported ($0.74) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.60) by ($0.14). Natera had a negative return on equity of 18.29% and a negative net margin of 10.36%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.30) earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 32.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on NTRA shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 17th. Evercore ISI raised Natera to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $170.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, July 28th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Natera from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Barclays upped their price objective 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. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Natera from $211.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Natera has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $183.76.

Insider Activity

In related news, 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 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 3,045 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 65,430 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,990,082. This trade represents a 4.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 60,239 shares of company stock worth $8,986,542 in the last three months. Insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

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.