NorthRock Partners LLC Invests $236,000 in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Key Points

• NorthRock Partners LLC has invested $236,000 in Natera, Inc., acquiring 1,394 shares in the company during the second quarter.
• Several institutional investors, including Price T Rowe Associates and UBS AM, have significantly increased their stakes in Natera, indicating strong institutional interest in the stock.
• Natera has experienced a recent earnings miss with a reported loss of ($0.74) per share, but its revenue of $546.60 million surpassed analysts' expectations, resulting in a 32.2% year-over-year growth.

NorthRock Partners LLC purchased a new position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 1,394 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $236,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in Natera by 56.3% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 10,537,743 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,490,144,000 after buying an additional 3,795,315 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in Natera during the first quarter valued at $113,375,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in Natera by 140.4% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,253,790 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $177,298,000 after buying an additional 732,156 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Natera by 9.9% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,361,963 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,041,055,000 after buying an additional 660,538 shares during the period. Finally, Ninety One UK Ltd boosted its stake in Natera by 149.1% during the second quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 562,985 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $95,111,000 after buying an additional 336,985 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on NTRA shares. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $210.00 price objective (up previously from $190.00) on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $195.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research note on Sunday, August 10th. Evercore ISI upgraded Natera to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $170.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $183.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, August 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Natera has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $196.81.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 2,750 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.99, for a total transaction of $459,222.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 6,015 shares in the company, valued at $1,004,444.85. This represents a 31.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 14,083 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $2,253,280.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 154,072 shares of the company's stock, valued at $24,651,520. This represents a 8.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 72,464 shares of company stock worth $10,963,125 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 5.63% of the company's stock.

Natera Stock Up 0.6%

NASDAQ NTRA opened at $180.54 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $24.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -94.52 and a beta of 1.74. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $167.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $158.07. Natera, Inc. has a 12-month low of $117.27 and a 12-month high of $187.34.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The medical research company reported ($0.74) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.60) by ($0.14). The company had revenue of $546.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $476.84 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 12.89% and a negative return on equity of 22.22%. The company's revenue was up 32.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.30) earnings per share. Natera has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Equities analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.

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