Swedbank AB Increases Holdings in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Key Points

• Swedbank AB increased its stake in Natera, Inc. by 48.8%, acquiring an additional 14,809 shares, bringing its total holdings to 45,135 shares valued at approximately $6,383,000.
• Multiple institutional investors, including Vanguard Group and Price T Rowe Associates, have also significantly increased their holdings in Natera, demonstrating strong confidence in the company.
• Natera's shares have seen analyst ratings generally leaning towards "buy"**, with a consensus target price of $194.00 and notable high targets reaching up to $268.00.

Swedbank AB boosted its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 48.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 45,135 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 14,809 shares during the period. Swedbank AB's holdings in Natera were worth $6,383,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in Natera in the first quarter valued at about $8,992,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in Natera by 142.9% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,098 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $155,000 after purchasing an additional 646 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd acquired a new stake in Natera in the first quarter valued at about $3,498,000. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Natera by 591.4% in the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 85,369 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $12,072,000 after purchasing an additional 73,021 shares during the period. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth lifted its position in Natera by 8.6% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 5,993 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $847,000 after purchasing an additional 474 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Natera Price Performance

NTRA stock traded up $1.21 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $181.07. The stock had a trading volume of 558,185 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,448,111. The firm has a market cap of $24.85 billion, a PE ratio of -94.80 and a beta of 1.68. Natera, Inc. has a 12-month low of $117.27 and a 12-month high of $183.00. The company's 50-day moving average price is $156.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $154.77.

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

Insider Activity at Natera

In other news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.62, for a total transaction of $499,860.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 120,859 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,137,526.58. The trade was a 2.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 2,496 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.17, for a total transaction of $332,392.32. Following the sale, the director directly owned 5,763 shares of the company's stock, valued at $767,458.71. This represents a 30.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 56,423 shares of company stock worth $8,459,656. 5.63% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $268.00 price objective on shares of Natera and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Natera to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $170.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $210.00 price target (up from $190.00) on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, August 8th. 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. Finally, Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, August 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and seventeen have issued a Buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $194.00.

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.