Parnassus Investments LLC Purchases 49,546 Shares of Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Key Points

• Parnassus Investments LLC significantly increased its stake in Natera, Inc., acquiring 49,546 additional shares, raising its total holdings to 59,877 shares valued at approximately $8.47 million.
• Despite reporting a larger revenue of $546.6 million for the quarter, Natera Inc. missed earnings expectations with a loss of ($0.74) per share.
• Analysts generally have a positive outlook on Natera, with a consensus rating of "Buy" and a target price averaging around $193.19.

Parnassus Investments LLC grew its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 479.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 59,877 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 49,546 shares during the period. Parnassus Investments LLC's holdings in Natera were worth $8,467,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in Natera during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in Natera in the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its holdings in Natera by 117.8% in the first 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 during the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC bought a new stake in Natera in the first quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, TCTC Holdings LLC increased its holdings in Natera by 114.8% in the first 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 last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on NTRA shares. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Natera from $251.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $195.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research report on Sunday, August 10th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 17th. Finally, Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $183.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, August 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and seventeen have assigned a Buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Natera currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $193.19.

Natera Stock Up 0.2%

NTRA opened at $168.25 on Friday. Natera, Inc. has a 12 month low of $110.57 and a 12 month high of $183.00. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $154.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $154.04. The stock has a market cap of $23.09 billion, a P/E ratio of -88.09 and a beta of 1.76.

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

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,111 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.10, for a total value of $960,038.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 179,071 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $28,132,054.10. This represents a 3.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 4,299 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $167.36, for a total transaction of $719,480.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 8,118 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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. Insiders sold a total of 58,705 shares of company stock valued at $8,743,776 in the last quarter. 5.63% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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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