LMR Partners LLP Purchases 16,925 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

LMR Partners LLP grew its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 515.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,209 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 16,925 shares during the quarter. LMR Partners LLP's holdings in Natera were worth $3,199,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Diversified Trust Co bought a new stake in Natera during the 4th quarter valued at $220,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Natera by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 11,001 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,741,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 16,280 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $2,577,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Harbour Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter worth approximately $313,000. Finally, Pallas Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Natera by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,865 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,087,000 after purchasing an additional 396 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 4,000 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.61, for a total value of $606,440.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 9,704 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,471,223.44. This trade represents a 29.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider John Fesko sold 343 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.55, for a total value of $49,923.65. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 156,946 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,843,490.30. The trade was a 0.22% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 152,436 shares of company stock valued at $22,019,079 over the last ninety days. 7.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Natera Trading Up 2.1%

Shares of Natera stock traded up $3.19 during trading on Friday, reaching $152.59. The company's stock had a trading volume of 911,043 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,385,195. The company has a market cap of $20.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -86.70 and a beta of 1.79. The firm's 50-day moving average is $148.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $156.31. Natera, Inc. has a 52-week low of $92.14 and a 52-week high of $183.00. The company has a quick ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.50) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.59) by $0.09. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The business had revenue of $501.83 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $446.68 million. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.56) EPS. Natera's revenue for the quarter was up 36.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group upped their price target on Natera from $211.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. StockNews.com raised shares of Natera from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $251.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Natera presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $182.12.

Natera Company 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.