Raymond James Financial Inc. Decreases Position in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Key Points

• Raymond James Financial Inc. sold 11,322 shares of Natera, reducing its holdings by 1.2%, leaving it with approximately 913,621 shares valued at $129.2 million.
• Several large institutional investors significantly increased their stakes in Natera during the 1st quarter, including Price T Rowe Associates, which grew its stake by 134.9%.
• Despite a negative EPS report, analysts maintain a predominately positive outlook with an average price target of $193.19 for Natera, reflecting an overall "Moderate Buy" rating.

Raymond James Financial Inc. lowered its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 1.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 913,621 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 11,322 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned 0.68% of Natera worth $129,196,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC lifted its holdings in Natera by 30.8% in the 1st quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,986 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $308,000 after purchasing an additional 468 shares in the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank increased its stake in shares of Natera by 9.8% in the 1st quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 8,293 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,173,000 after acquiring an additional 740 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Natera by 32.3% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 848 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $120,000 after acquiring an additional 207 shares during the last quarter. Teza Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera in the 4th quarter worth $221,000. Finally, Asset Management One Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Natera in the 1st quarter worth $6,753,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 4,299 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,111 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.10, for a total value of $960,038.10. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 61,792 shares of company stock valued at $9,227,972. Corporate insiders own 5.63% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on NTRA shares. Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $183.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, August 15th. UBS Group raised their target price on Natera from $211.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 17th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised Natera to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $170.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, July 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and seventeen have given a Buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Natera currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $193.19.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NTRA stock traded up $3.65 during trading on Friday, reaching $165.60. The company's stock had a trading volume of 839,847 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,655,524. The company has a market capitalization of $22.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -86.70 and a beta of 1.76. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $154.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $154.32. Natera, Inc. has a 1-year low of $110.57 and a 1-year high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $546.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 for the quarter was up 32.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.30) EPS. Natera has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Natera 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.