Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Shares Sold by Nikko Asset Management Americas Inc.

Key Points

• Nikko Asset Management Americas Inc. has reduced its stake in Natera, Inc. by 5.9%, now owning approximately $98.55 million worth of shares, representing about 1.2% of its total holdings.
• Recently, several institutional investors, including Rakuten Securities Inc. and ORG Partners LLC, have modified their positions in Natera, which is predominantly owned by 99.90% institutional investors and hedge funds.
• Natera reported a quarterly revenue of $501.83 million, surpassing analyst estimates by 12.3%, despite showing a negative earnings per share of ($0.50).

Nikko Asset Management Americas Inc. lessened its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 5.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 696,904 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 43,933 shares during the period. Natera accounts for approximately 1.2% of Nikko Asset Management Americas Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Nikko Asset Management Americas Inc. owned approximately 0.52% of Natera worth $98,549,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings 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 valued at $1,067,327,000 after purchasing an additional 3,871,862 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Natera by 43.7% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,701,425 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,060,836,000 after buying an additional 2,036,396 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Natera by 15.7% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,240,041 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $512,898,000 after buying an additional 439,778 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Natera by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,232,681 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $355,809,000 after buying an additional 142,201 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Natera by 40.0% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,538,875 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $243,604,000 after buying an additional 439,540 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA traded up $3.36 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $139.20. The company's stock had a trading volume of 330,279 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,489,322. Natera, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $92.14 and a fifty-two week high of $183.00. The company has a market capitalization of $19.01 billion, a PE ratio of -94.72 and a beta of 1.73. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $158.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $156.45.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.50) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.59) by $0.09. Natera had a negative return on equity of 18.29% and a negative net margin of 10.36%. The company had revenue of $501.83 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $446.68 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.56) EPS. The business's revenue was up 36.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on NTRA. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Natera from $211.00 to $218.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Natera from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Natera to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $170.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Natera has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $183.76.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other Natera news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.77, for a total value of $500,310.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 130,205 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,714,287.85. This trade represents a 2.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale 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 stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.36, for a total value of $719,480.64. Following the sale, the director owned 8,118 shares in the company, valued at $1,358,628.48. The trade was a 34.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 47,844 shares of company stock worth $7,488,466. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.