Westfield Capital Management Co. LP Buys 155,547 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Key Points

• Westfield Capital Management Co. LP increased its stake in Natera, Inc. by 29.0% in Q1, owning approximately 691,341 shares worth around $97.76 million.
• Natera reported earnings of ($0.50) per share, exceeding analysts' expectations, with revenue of $501.83 million, up 36.5% year-over-year.
• Analysts have set a consensus price target of $183.76 for Natera, with a mix of buy and sell ratings from various research firms.

Westfield Capital Management Co. LP increased its holdings in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 29.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 691,341 shares of the medical research company's stock after buying an additional 155,547 shares during the period. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP owned 0.51% of Natera worth $97,763,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in Natera by 134.9% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,742,428 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,067,327,000 after buying an additional 3,871,862 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 8,233.5% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 397,924 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $56,270,000 after acquiring an additional 393,149 shares during the period. Ninety One UK Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Natera during the first quarter worth $31,959,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in Natera by 1,126.1% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 233,890 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $37,025,000 after acquiring an additional 214,814 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its stake in Natera by 26.3% in the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 935,768 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $132,327,000 after purchasing an additional 194,931 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Natera Stock Up 9.2%

NASDAQ NTRA traded up $13.03 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $154.11. 2,586,232 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,521,326. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.04 billion, a P/E ratio of -104.89 and a beta of 1.76. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $155.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $155.19. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $104.00 and a 1 year high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 10.36% and a negative return on equity of 18.29%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 32.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($0.30) EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 3,045 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.40, for a total value of $418,383.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 65,430 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,990,082. The trade was a 4.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,111 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 179,071 shares of the company's stock, valued at $28,132,054.10. The trade was a 3.30% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 60,239 shares of company stock worth $8,986,542 in the last 90 days. 7.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NTRA has been the topic of a number of research reports. UBS Group boosted their price target on Natera from $211.00 to $218.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Evercore ISI upgraded Natera to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $170.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 17th. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $210.00 price objective (up from $190.00) on shares of Natera in a report on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Natera from $251.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $185.18.

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.