AQR Capital Management LLC Acquires 169,148 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 21.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 945,511 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 169,148 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $149,674,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Natera by 104.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Natera by 345.8% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Natera by 372.9% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 261 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. raised its stake in Natera by 20.7% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Natera by 1,328.0% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 357 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Natera Trading Up 1.2 %

NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $154.89 on Wednesday. Natera, Inc. has a one year low of $92.01 and a one year high of $183.00. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $147.29 and a 200-day moving average price of $153.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -88.01 and a beta of 1.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 4.23.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on NTRA. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Natera from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Natera from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $175.76.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Natera news, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.77, for a total transaction of $117,861.51. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 156,044 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,739,941.88. This trade represents a 0.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 495 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.74, for a total transaction of $74,616.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 76,312 shares in the company, valued at $11,503,270.88. This trade represents a 0.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 174,080 shares of company stock worth $26,473,363. Company 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.