Natera, Inc. $NTRA Position Increased by Saudi Central Bank

Key Points

• Institutional ownership increased: Saudi Central Bank nearly doubled its Natera stake to 9,425 shares during the second quarter, while institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 99.90% of the stock.
• Strong quarterly performance: Natera reported quarterly revenue of $752.75 million, up 37.7% year over year and above estimates, while its adjusted loss of $0.47 per share narrowly beat consensus expectations.
• Analysts remain bullish: Recent price targets range from $330 to $365, with Natera receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average target of $319.38. Shares recently opened at $328.18, near their 52-week high.

Saudi Central Bank lifted its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 94.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,425 shares of the medical research company's stock after buying an additional 4,575 shares during the quarter. Saudi Central Bank's holdings in Natera were worth $2,558,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Natera during the second quarter worth about $2,962,770,000. Coatue Management LLC boosted its stake in Natera by 1,446.1% in the fourth quarter. Coatue Management LLC now owns 2,633,334 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $603,270,000 after acquiring an additional 2,463,008 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 94.7% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,976,325 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,140,026,000 after purchasing an additional 2,420,263 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $372,398,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,854,334 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $2,944,800,000 after purchasing an additional 1,225,420 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of Natera stock opened at $328.18 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $47.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -241.31 and a beta of 1.54. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $293.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $238.68. Natera, Inc. has a 52-week low of $157.43 and a 52-week high of $343.18.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The medical research company reported ($0.47) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.49) by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $752.75 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $661.24 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 11.38% and a negative net margin of 7.11%.The firm's revenue was up 37.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.74) earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on NTRA shares. Guggenheim raised their price target on Natera from $290.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Leerink Partners set a $330.00 target price on Natera in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $355.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Natera from $315.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and set a $340.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, August 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Natera has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $319.38.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other news, insider John Fesko sold 6,517 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $321.53, for a total transaction of $2,095,411.01. Following the transaction, the insider owned 197,257 shares in the company, valued at approximately $63,424,043.21. This trade represents a 3.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CEO Steven Chapman sold 3,580 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.07, for a total transaction of $909,570.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 102,973 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,162,350.11. The trade was a 3.36% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold a total of 71,206 shares of company stock worth $19,944,069 over the last quarter. 5.05% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Natera

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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