Man Group plc Purchases 42,838 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Man Group plc boosted its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 20.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 250,944 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 42,838 shares during the quarter. Man Group plc owned 0.19% of Natera worth $39,724,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in Natera in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Natera by 104.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Natera by 372.9% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. raised its stake in Natera by 20.7% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in Natera by 1,328.0% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 357 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In related news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 2,206 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.18, for a total value of $335,709.08. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 139,280 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,195,630.40. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 9,704 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,471,223.44. The trade was a 29.19% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 152,436 shares of company stock valued at $22,019,079. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

Natera Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA traded up $3.19 during trading on Friday, hitting $152.59. 911,043 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,388,327. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $148.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $156.71. Natera, Inc. has a 12-month low of $92.14 and a 12-month high of $183.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.84 billion, a P/E ratio of -86.70 and a beta of 1.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 4.23.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. UBS Group raised their price objective 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. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Natera presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $182.12.

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.