Nykredit A S Acquires Shares of 49,632 Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Key Points

• Nykredit A/S acquired 49,632 Natera shares worth approximately $13.5 million during the second quarter. Institutional investors now own 99.90% of Natera’s outstanding stock.
• Natera reported quarterly revenue of $752.75 million, up 37.7% year over year and above expectations, while its adjusted loss of $0.47 per share narrowly beat estimates.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with the stock carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $330.83, below its reported opening price of $369.39.

Nykredit A S acquired a new stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 49,632 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $13,473,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of NTRA. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Natera in the second quarter worth about $2,962,770,000. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc purchased a new position in Natera during the 2nd quarter valued at $5,117,000. Abbot Financial Management Inc. bought a new position in Natera in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,537,000. Eagle Health Investments LP purchased a new stake in Natera in the second quarter worth $4,302,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in Natera by 3,373.1% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 11,253 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $2,251,000 after purchasing an additional 10,929 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Michael Brophy sold 478 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.22, for a total value of $131,077.16. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 51,637 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,159,898.14. The trade was a 0.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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, insider John Fesko sold 6,517 shares of the business'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 value of $2,095,411.01. Following the sale, the insider owned 197,257 shares of the company's stock, valued at $63,424,043.21. The trade was a 3.20% 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last three months, insiders sold 68,242 shares of company stock valued at $19,301,534. 5.05% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA opened at $369.39 on Monday. Natera, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $157.43 and a fifty-two week high of $369.69. The company has a market cap of $53.24 billion, a PE ratio of -271.61 and a beta of 1.54. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $305.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $247.02.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

NTRA has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Natera from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Natera in a report on Friday, June 5th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $245.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada raised Natera from an "outperform" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Natera in a research report on Friday, June 26th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $310.00 target price for the company. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their target price on Natera from $290.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $330.83.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.