abrdn plc Buys New Shares in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

abrdn plc acquired a new position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 51,308 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $3,214,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Natera by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,556,792 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $334,388,000 after acquiring an additional 67,102 shares during the last quarter. Kynam Capital Management LP increased its stake in Natera by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Kynam Capital Management LP now owns 3,003,668 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $132,912,000 after acquiring an additional 103,668 shares during the last quarter. RTW Investments LP increased its stake in Natera by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. RTW Investments LP now owns 2,651,783 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $117,341,000 after acquiring an additional 40,000 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Natera by 52.0% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,529,496 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $111,930,000 after acquiring an additional 865,404 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Natera by 115.7% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,654,303 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $73,203,000 after acquiring an additional 887,409 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 447 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.22, for a total transaction of $40,328.34. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 347,731 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,372,290.82. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, Director Herm Rosenman sold 93,901 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.37, for a total transaction of $6,513,912.37. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 61,685 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,279,088.45. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 447 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.22, for a total value of $40,328.34. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 347,731 shares in the company, valued at $31,372,290.82. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 434,943 shares of company stock worth $35,419,396 in the last three months. 9.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on NTRA. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Natera from $70.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Natera from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $78.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on Natera from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised Natera from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $120.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $86.40.

Natera Stock Up 2.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA traded up $2.38 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $94.04. 1,538,627 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,446,205. The company has a quick ratio of 3.96, a current ratio of 4.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The stock has a market cap of $11.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -24.81 and a beta of 1.37. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $36.90 and a 1 year high of $98.82. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $88.64 and a 200 day moving average of $68.20.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 28th. The medical research company reported ($0.64) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.73) by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $311.11 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $300.38 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 62.19% and a negative net margin of 40.16%. On average, research analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -2.35 earnings per share for the current year.

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.