Nuveen Asset Management LLC Raises Stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 583,119 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,855 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned about 0.44% of Natera worth $92,308,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in Natera in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Natera by 104.3% in 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 grew its position in Natera by 372.9% in 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. grew its position in Natera by 20.7% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 1,328.0% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 357 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Natera Stock Up 0.8%

NASDAQ:NTRA traded up $1.26 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $154.53. The company had a trading volume of 879,370 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,383,766. Natera, Inc. has a twelve month low of $92.14 and a twelve month 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. The firm has a market cap of $21.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -87.80 and a beta of 1.79. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $148.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $157.17.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last announced 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $446.68 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.56) earnings per share. Natera's revenue was up 36.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NTRA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Barclays lifted their price target on Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Natera from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada assumed coverage on Natera in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $251.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $182.12.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 2,206 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.18, for a total transaction of $335,709.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 139,280 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,195,630.40. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 87,272 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total value of $12,514,804.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 203,354 shares of the company's stock, valued at $29,160,963.60. The trade was a 30.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 152,436 shares of company stock valued at $22,019,079. Insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

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.