Natera, Inc. $NTRA Stock Acquired by QRG Capital Management Inc.

Key Points

• QRG Capital Management increased its Natera stake by 32.7% in the second quarter, owning 19,488 shares valued at approximately $5.29 million. Institutional investors collectively hold 99.9% of Natera’s stock.
• Natera reported quarterly revenue of $752.75 million, up 37.7% year over year, and an adjusted loss of $0.47 per share, slightly better than analyst expectations.
• Analyst sentiment remains largely positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $336.07, although the stock was trading near its 52-week high at $412.56.

QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 32.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,488 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,797 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Natera were worth $5,290,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in NTRA. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Natera during the 2nd quarter worth $2,962,770,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter worth about $372,398,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake 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 worth $2,944,800,000 after acquiring an additional 1,225,420 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the second quarter worth about $199,960,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in Natera by 111.1% during the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,179,939 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $270,312,000 after purchasing an additional 620,954 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Natera Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $412.56 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $59.47 billion, a PE ratio of -303.35 and a beta of 1.54. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $317.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $253.46. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $157.43 and a 52 week high of $415.75.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on NTRA. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $340.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, August 7th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Natera from $290.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $300.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $350.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $336.07.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other Natera news, insider John Fesko sold 6,517 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $321.53, for a total transaction of $2,095,411.01. Following the sale, the insider owned 197,257 shares in the company, valued at $63,424,043.21. This represents a 3.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available 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 1,698 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.99, for a total value of $545,041.02. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 98,199 shares in the company, valued at $31,520,897.01. This trade represents a 1.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 51,712 shares of company stock worth $15,169,034. Company insiders own 5.05% of the company's stock.

About Natera

Natera, Inc is a diagnostics company that develops and commercializes molecular testing services based on cell-free DNA and other genomic technologies. The company focuses on reproductive health, oncology and organ health, providing tests intended to support screening, diagnosis, treatment planning and disease monitoring.

Its reproductive health portfolio includes Panorama, a noninvasive prenatal test that screens for certain chromosomal conditions, and Horizon, a carrier screening test.

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