KBC Group NV Buys 14,346 Shares of Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Key Points

• KBC Group NV boosted its position in Natera by 76.4% in Q4, purchasing 14,346 shares to hold 33,118 shares valued at about $7.59 million.
• Company insiders sold a total of 314,545 shares worth $73.14 million over the last quarter, including CEO Steven Chapman’s sale of 85,299 shares (~$19.68M); insiders now own 5.63% of the company.
• Natera beat expectations with Q4 EPS of $0.35 (vs. -$0.46 est.) and revenue of $665.5M, while analysts collectively rate the stock a "Moderate Buy" with a consensus target of $253.47.

KBC Group NV lifted its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 76.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,118 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 14,346 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV's holdings in Natera were worth $7,587,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 11,628,914 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,871,914,000 after purchasing an additional 1,003,129 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Natera by 37.5% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,665,013 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $428,987,000 after acquiring an additional 727,366 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Natera by 39.0% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,400,065 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $386,338,000 after acquiring an additional 673,315 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in Natera by 215.7% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 527,942 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $84,983,000 after acquiring an additional 360,733 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its holdings in Natera by 5,965.1% during the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 343,768 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $78,754,000 after acquiring an additional 338,100 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on NTRA. William Blair began coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Tuesday. They set an "outperform" rating on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a report on Monday, January 12th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Natera from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $239.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $253.47.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 85,299 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.72, for a total value of $19,680,185.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 127,881 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,504,704.32. The trade was a 40.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider John Fesko sold 17,806 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.74, for a total transaction of $4,179,780.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 177,591 shares in the company, valued at $41,687,711.34. This trade represents a 9.11% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 314,545 shares of company stock worth $73,141,185 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 5.63% of the company's stock.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA opened at $208.40 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $29.54 billion, a P/E ratio of -136.21 and a beta of 1.68. Natera, Inc. has a 52-week low of $131.81 and a 52-week high of $256.36. The company's 50 day moving average price is $203.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $211.82.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.46) by $0.81. The firm had revenue of $665.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $600.68 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 9.03% and a negative return on equity of 15.28%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($0.41) EPS. Analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Natera Profile

Natera is a global diagnostics company that develops and commercializes cell-free DNA and other genetic testing technologies for clinical applications. The company focuses on three principal areas: reproductive health (including non-invasive prenatal testing and carrier screening), oncology (tumor-informed assays for minimal residual disease and recurrence monitoring), and organ transplantation (cell-free DNA tests to detect allograft injury). Natera combines laboratory testing, proprietary bioinformatics, and clinical reporting to deliver personalized genetic information to clinicians and patients.

Key product offerings include Panorama, a non-invasive prenatal test that screens for fetal chromosomal abnormalities and select single-gene conditions; Horizon carrier screening for inherited conditions; Signatera, a personalized, tumor-informed assay used for detecting minimal residual disease and monitoring treatment response in cancer patients; and Prospera, a donor-derived cell-free DNA test used to assess the risk of organ rejection.

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