DNB Asset Management AS Raises Holdings in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

DNB Asset Management AS lifted its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 4.2% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 23,236 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 943 shares during the quarter. DNB Asset Management AS’s holdings in Natera were worth $3,925,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in Natera during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Hilltop National Bank bought a new position in shares of Natera during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of Natera in the second quarter valued at $36,000. TCTC Holdings LLC increased its position in Natera by 114.8% in the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 232 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in Natera by 83.5% in the first quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 233 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Natera Price Performance

Natera stock opened at $238.58 on Tuesday. Natera, Inc. has a 1-year low of $125.38 and a 1-year high of $239.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.93 billion, a P/E ratio of -104.18 and a beta of 1.74. The company’s 50-day moving average is $187.60 and its 200 day moving average is $168.49.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The medical research company reported ($0.64) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.39) by ($0.25). The business had revenue of $592.18 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $514.55 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.61% and a negative return on equity of 25.07%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 34.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.26) EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Natera to a “hold” rating and set a $172.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Natera from $190.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. BTIG Research lifted their price target on Natera from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Natera from $218.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Natera from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $220.29.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 160,703 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.96, for a total transaction of $32,134,171.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 144,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,957,407.36. The trade was a 52.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.99, for a total transaction of $479,970.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 117,559 shares in the company, valued at $18,808,264.41. This represents a 2.49% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 236,116 shares of company stock worth $45,800,290 in the last quarter. 5.63% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Natera Company 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.