Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC Has $60.76 Million Stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Key Points

• Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC reduced its stake in Natera, Inc. by 2.4%, owning approximately $60.76 million worth of shares.
• Institutional investors and hedge funds now own 99.90% of Natera's stock, highlighting significant institutional interest.
• Wall Street analysts have mixed ratings on Natera, with target prices ranging from $170.00 to $255.00 and many analysts rating it as a "buy" or "strong buy."

Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC lowered its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 2.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 429,665 shares of the medical research company's stock after selling 10,546 shares during the period. Natera accounts for approximately 1.5% of Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC owned 0.32% of Natera worth $60,759,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of NTRA. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in shares of Natera by 134.9% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,742,428 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,067,327,000 after purchasing an additional 3,871,862 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Natera by 9.9% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,361,963 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,041,055,000 after acquiring an additional 660,538 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of Natera by 8,233.5% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 397,924 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $56,270,000 after acquiring an additional 393,149 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Natera by 13.7% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,035,979 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $287,908,000 after acquiring an additional 245,719 shares during the period. Finally, Ninety One UK Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the 1st quarter valued at $31,959,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NTRA has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $210.00 target price (up previously from $190.00) on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $211.00 to $218.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $251.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Natera to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $170.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $192.53.

Natera Stock Performance

Natera stock opened at $151.95 on Friday. Natera, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $104.00 and a fifty-two week high of $183.00. The stock has a market cap of $20.75 billion, a PE ratio of -79.55 and a beta of 1.76. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $155.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $154.97.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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). Natera had a negative return on equity of 22.93% and a negative net margin of 12.89%. The firm had revenue of $546.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $476.84 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.30) earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 32.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,111 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.10, for a total transaction of $960,038.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 179,071 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,132,054.10. This represents a 3.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 3,045 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.40, for a total transaction of $418,383.00. Following the transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 60,239 shares of company stock valued at $8,986,542 in the last three months. 7.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.