Vanguard Group Inc. Buys 77,357 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Natera, Inc. by 0.6%, now owning 12,393,827 shares valued at approximately $1.75 billion.
• Natera's quarterly earnings missed expectations, reporting ($0.74) earnings per share against a consensus estimate of ($0.60), though revenue was significantly higher at $546.60 million.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on Natera, with target prices ranging widely; Royal Bank of Canada raised its target to $255 while UBS set it at $218, reflecting strong interest from institutional investors.

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 0.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,393,827 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 77,357 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 9.17% of Natera worth $1,752,611,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 3,871,862 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of Natera by 8,233.5% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 397,924 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $56,270,000 after acquiring an additional 393,149 shares during the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Natera during the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,959,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in shares of Natera by 1,126.1% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 233,890 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $37,025,000 after buying an additional 214,814 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Natera by 26.3% during the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 935,768 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $132,327,000 after buying an additional 194,931 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NTRA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $195.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research report on Sunday. 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 report on Friday, May 9th. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $210.00 price target (up previously from $190.00) on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Natera to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $170.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $193.87.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Natera news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,000 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.89, for a total transaction of $398,670.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 123,059 shares of the company's stock, valued at $16,353,310.51. The trade was a 2.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider John Fesko sold 1,710 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.81, for a total value of $239,075.10. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 151,750 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,216,167.50. The trade was a 1.11% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 60,239 shares of company stock worth $8,986,542 in the last quarter. 5.63% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Natera Trading Up 1.8%

NASDAQ NTRA traded up $2.77 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $159.81. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,837,695 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,727,715. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $155.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $154.81. Natera, Inc. has a twelve month low of $110.57 and a twelve month high of $183.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -83.67 and a beta of 1.76.

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 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $476.84 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($0.30) earnings per share. Natera's revenue was up 32.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast 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.