Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Acquires Shares of 441,024 Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 441,024 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $27,626,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned about 0.37% of Natera at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in NTRA. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in Natera by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 6,216 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $389,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its holdings in Natera by 0.5% in the third quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 45,469 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $2,012,000 after buying an additional 230 shares during the period. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group boosted its position in Natera by 109.3% during the fourth quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group now owns 745 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 389 shares during the last quarter. RiverPark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Natera during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Natera during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 83,223 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.96, for a total value of $7,403,518.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 232,004 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,639,075.84. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 83,223 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.96, for a total transaction of $7,403,518.08. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 232,004 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,639,075.84. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel Rabinowitz sold 35,307 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.09, for a total transaction of $2,651,202.63. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 204,218 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $15,334,729.62. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 323,628 shares of company stock worth $29,214,503. Insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on NTRA. Craig Hallum began coverage on Natera in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $117.00 target price for the company. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $78.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Natera from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday. Raymond James lowered shares of Natera from a "strong-buy" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $68.00 to $85.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Natera from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $98.47.

Natera Stock Down 1.9 %

Natera stock traded down $2.04 during trading on Friday, hitting $106.46. 938,889 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,345,028. The company has a market capitalization of $13.07 billion, a P/E ratio of -34.12 and a beta of 1.38. The business's 50 day moving average is $93.96 and its 200 day moving average is $73.83. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $36.90 and a 52 week high of $108.75. The company has a current ratio of 4.12, a quick ratio of 3.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The medical research company reported ($0.56) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.72) by $0.16. Natera had a negative net margin of 30.24% and a negative return on equity of 49.72%. The firm had revenue of $367.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $316.31 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($1.23) EPS. The business's revenue was up 52.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -2.43 earnings per share for the current year.

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.