Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock Holdings Lifted by Swiss National Bank

Key Points

• The Swiss National Bank increased its holdings in Natera, Inc. by 52.0%, owning a total of 353,800 shares valued at approximately $50 million as of the last quarter.
• Analyst reports have been largely positive, with firms like Barclays and UBS Group raising their price targets, indicating a consensus price target of $192.53 for Natera shares.
• Natera recently reported a loss of $0.74 per share for the last quarter, missing analyst expectations, despite achieving a 32.2% increase in year-over-year revenue.

Swiss National Bank raised its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 52.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 353,800 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 121,000 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned approximately 0.26% of Natera worth $50,031,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Natera by 0.6% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,393,827 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,752,611,000 after purchasing an additional 77,357 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position 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 buying an additional 3,871,862 shares during the last quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP lifted its position in shares of Natera by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 1,222,578 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $193,534,000 after buying an additional 82,488 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Natera by 21.8% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 945,511 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $149,674,000 after buying an additional 169,148 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ARK Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Natera by 6.2% in the first quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 943,094 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $133,363,000 after buying an additional 55,383 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other Natera news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 3,045 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.40, for a total value of $418,383.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 65,430 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,990,082. This represents a 4.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 4,299 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.36, for a total value of $719,480.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 8,118 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,358,628.48. This trade represents a 34.62% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 60,239 shares of company stock worth $8,986,542. Insiders own 5.63% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NTRA has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $210.00 price target (up previously from $190.00) on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday. Evercore ISI raised Natera to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $170.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, July 28th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Natera from $211.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Sunday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Natera from $251.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Natera currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $192.53.

Natera Stock Up 7.7%

Natera stock opened at $151.95 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $155.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $154.85. The stock has a market cap of $20.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -79.55 and a beta of 1.76. Natera, Inc. has a 12 month low of $104.00 and a 12 month high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical research company reported ($0.74) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.60) by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $546.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $476.84 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 12.89% and a negative return on equity of 22.93%. The company's revenue was up 32.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.30) EPS. On average, analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Natera Company 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.

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