XTX Topco Ltd Acquires 35,391 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Key Points

• XTX Topco Ltd significantly increased its stake in Natera, Inc. by 1,022.9% during the first quarter, owning 38,851 shares valued at approximately $5.49 million by quarter's end.
• Natera reported a 36.5% year-over-year revenue increase to $501.83 million for the recent quarter, surpassing analysts' estimates, with earnings per share of ($0.50), beating expectations by $0.09.
• Several analysts have raised their target prices for Natera, with UBS Group increasing it from $211.00 to $218.00 and reaffirming a "buy" rating.

XTX Topco Ltd lifted its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 1,022.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 38,851 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 35,391 shares during the quarter. XTX Topco Ltd's holdings in Natera were worth $5,494,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings 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 worth $1,067,327,000 after purchasing an additional 3,871,862 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter worth $224,040,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in 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 valued at $512,898,000 after acquiring an additional 439,778 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Natera by 40.0% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,538,875 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $243,604,000 after purchasing an additional 439,540 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in Natera by 8,233.5% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 397,924 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $56,270,000 after purchasing an additional 393,149 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NTRA has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays raised their price target on Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $211.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Monday. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $170.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, May 17th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted 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. 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 company. According to MarketBeat, Natera currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $183.76.

Natera Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NTRA traded up $0.92 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $134.58. 1,165,817 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,493,227. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.38 billion, a P/E ratio of -91.55 and a beta of 1.73. The business's 50-day moving average price is $157.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $156.09. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $92.14 and a 1 year high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last announced 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. The company had revenue of $501.83 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $446.68 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 18.29% and a negative net margin of 10.36%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 36.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.56) earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other news, insider John Fesko sold 1,710 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.81, for a total value of $239,075.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 151,750 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,216,167.50. This represents a 1.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 2,206 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 $308,420.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 126,059 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,624,308.79. The trade was a 1.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 48,936 shares of company stock valued at $7,483,846. 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.