Trexquant Investment LP Increases Holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Trexquant Investment LP grew its stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 574.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 118,758 shares of the medical research company's stock after buying an additional 101,143 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP owned approximately 0.10% of Natera worth $7,439,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in Natera during the fourth quarter valued at $83,970,000. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Natera by 52.0% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,529,496 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $111,930,000 after purchasing an additional 865,404 shares in the last quarter. Avidity Partners Management LP boosted its holdings in Natera by 107.7% in the third quarter. Avidity Partners Management LP now owns 899,000 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $39,781,000 after acquiring an additional 466,100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new position in Natera during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,626,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 83,223 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The shares were 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 owns 232,004 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,639,075.84. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 83,223 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $20,639,075.84. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 80,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.82, for a total transaction of $7,265,600.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 117,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,676,799.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 323,628 shares of company stock valued at $29,214,503 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

Natera Trading Up 1.8 %

NTRA traded up $1.95 on Tuesday, reaching $108.26. 764,228 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,424,230. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 3.98 and a current ratio of 4.12. The company has a market cap of $13.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -34.70 and a beta of 1.38. The company's 50 day moving average is $94.65 and its 200-day moving average is $75.00. Natera, Inc. has a twelve month low of $36.90 and a twelve month high of $108.75.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 9th. The medical research company reported ($0.56) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.72) by $0.16. Natera had a negative return on equity of 49.72% and a negative net margin of 30.24%. The firm had revenue of $367.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $316.31 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($1.23) EPS. Natera's quarterly revenue was up 52.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -2.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NTRA has been the topic of several research reports. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their target price on Natera from $100.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 10th. Craig Hallum began coverage on Natera in a research report on Monday, April 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $117.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Natera from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Finally, Raymond James cut shares of Natera from a "strong-buy" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $68.00 to $85.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Natera currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $98.47.

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.