UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC Increases Stock Position in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Key Points

• UBS Asset Management significantly increased its stake in Natera, Inc. by 140.4%, acquiring a total of 1,253,790 shares, worth approximately $177.3 million.
• Natera reported a quarter earnings loss of ($0.74) EPS, missing estimates, but experienced a 32.2% increase in revenue year-over-year with $546.6 million for the quarter.
• Analyst ratings for Natera show an average target price of $194.00, with most ratings being positive, including several "overweight" recommendations from major firms.

UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 140.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,253,790 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 732,156 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC owned approximately 0.92% of Natera worth $177,298,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Fulton Bank N.A. increased its holdings in Natera by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 3,652 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $516,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Compound Planning Inc. increased its holdings in Natera by 4.2% during the 1st quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 1,914 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $271,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Natera by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,417 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $766,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Natera by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,737 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $246,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 5.5% in the 1st quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,676 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $237,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on NTRA shares. Evercore ISI raised shares of Natera to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $170.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, July 28th. Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $195.00 price target on shares of Natera in a report on Sunday, August 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $268.00 price target on shares of Natera and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, May 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and seventeen have issued a Buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $194.00.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NTRA stock traded down $5.30 on Friday, hitting $168.51. 853,091 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 945,987. Natera, Inc. has a one year low of $117.27 and a one year high of $183.00. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $155.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $154.12.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last released its 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). Natera had a negative net margin of 12.89% and a negative return on equity of 22.22%. The business had revenue of $546.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $476.84 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.30) EPS. Natera's revenue for the quarter was up 32.2% on a year-over-year basis. Natera has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Research analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other Natera news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.77, for a total transaction of $500,310.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 130,205 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,714,287.85. This represents a 2.25% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 4,299 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.36, for a total transaction of $719,480.64. Following the sale, the director directly owned 8,118 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,358,628.48. The trade was a 34.62% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 56,423 shares of company stock worth $8,459,656 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 5.63% of the company's stock.

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.