Natera, Inc. $NTRA Shares Bought by Itau Unibanco Holding S.A.

Key Points

• Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. increased its shareholding in Natera, Inc. by 158.2% during the 1st quarter, now owning 17,633 shares valued at approximately $2.49 million.
• Multiple institutional investors have increased their stakes in Natera, with 99.90% of the company's stock now owned by institutional investors.
• Natera's stock faced a decline of 1.6% recently, despite reporting revenue growth of 32.2%% year-over-year and exceeding earnings expectations, with quarterly revenue hitting $546.60 million.

Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. increased its holdings in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 158.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,633 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 10,803 shares during the period. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A.'s holdings in Natera were worth $2,493,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG acquired a new position in Natera during the first quarter worth $438,000. Silvant Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Natera by 2.2% during the first quarter. Silvant Capital Management LLC now owns 13,534 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,914,000 after acquiring an additional 291 shares during the period. Virtus Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Natera during the first quarter worth $146,000. Comerica Bank grew its holdings in Natera by 24.1% during the first quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 141,106 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $19,954,000 after acquiring an additional 27,379 shares during the period. Finally, Synovus Financial Corp grew its holdings in Natera by 4.8% during the first quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 20,222 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $2,860,000 after acquiring an additional 919 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,092 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.81, for a total transaction of $851,722.52. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 169,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,683,814. This represents a 3.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 3,045 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.40, for a total value of $418,383.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer 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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 49,594 shares of company stock valued at $7,312,528. 5.63% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on NTRA shares. UBS Group upped their price objective on Natera from $211.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Evercore ISI raised Natera to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $170.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, July 28th. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $210.00 target price (up previously from $190.00) on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, August 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Natera from $251.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, May 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and seventeen have given a Buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $193.19.

Natera Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA traded up $0.37 on Monday, hitting $168.25. The company had a trading volume of 773,706 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,518,897. Natera, Inc. has a 52-week low of $110.57 and a 52-week high of $183.00. The business has a 50 day moving average of $154.40 and a 200 day moving average of $153.80. The company has a market cap of $23.09 billion, a PE ratio of -88.09 and a beta of 1.68.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The medical research company reported ($0.74) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 company 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 company earned ($0.30) earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 32.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Natera has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

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.