18,573 Shares in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Purchased by Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 18,573 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,940,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Natera in the third quarter worth $385,000. Everence Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Natera during the fourth quarter worth about $573,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Natera by 50.3% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 657 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $104,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares during the period. SeaBridge Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera in the fourth quarter worth about $2,894,000. Finally, SYM FINANCIAL Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter worth about $256,000. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Natera from $200.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Thursday, March 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $251.00 price objective on the stock. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Natera from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Natera has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $175.76.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 2,562 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.41, for a total value of $354,606.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 75,557 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,457,844.37. This trade represents a 3.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 87,272 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.40, for a total value of $12,514,804.80. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 203,354 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,160,963.60. The trade was a 30.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 174,080 shares of company stock worth $26,473,363 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Natera Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $154.89 on Wednesday. Natera, Inc. has a 52-week low of $92.01 and a 52-week high of $183.00. The stock has a market cap of $20.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -88.01 and a beta of 1.80. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $147.29 and its 200-day moving average is $153.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a current ratio of 4.39.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $476.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $447.91 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. Sell-side analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS 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.