Natera, Inc. $NTRA Stock Position Lifted by Northern Trust Corp

Key Points

• Northern Trust Corp has increased its stake in Natera, Inc. by 1.7%, owning 712,730 shares worth approximately $100.8 million as of the latest report.
• Natera's latest earnings report showed a loss of ($0.74) EPS, which was below analysts' expectations, even though the company's revenue increased by 32.2% year-over-year to $546.6 million.
• Analysts remain optimistic about Natera, with many firms issuing "buy" ratings and setting price targets ranging from $170.00 to $220.00.

Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 1.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 712,730 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 11,949 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned about 0.53% of Natera worth $100,787,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in Natera in the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its stake in Natera by 117.8% during the 1st quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 220 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC bought a new position in Natera during the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, TCTC Holdings LLC increased its position in shares of Natera by 114.8% during the 1st quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 232 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NTRA opened at $165.60 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $154.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $154.16. The stock has a market cap of $22.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -86.70 and a beta of 1.76. Natera, Inc. has a one year low of $110.57 and a one year high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last issued 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). Natera had a negative net margin of 12.89% and a negative return on equity of 22.22%. The firm had revenue of $546.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $476.84 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.30) EPS. The firm's revenue was up 32.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Natera has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,807 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.88, for a total transaction of $771,634.16. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 163,593 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,738,237.84. The trade was a 3.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 2,496 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.17, for a total value of $332,392.32. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 5,763 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $767,458.71. This represents a 30.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 61,792 shares of company stock valued at $9,227,972. 5.63% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI raised Natera to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $170.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and set a $220.00 price objective (up previously from $210.00) on shares of Natera in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $210.00 target price (up from $190.00) on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, August 8th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Natera from $211.00 to $218.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $183.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, August 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and seventeen have issued a Buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $193.19.

About Natera

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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