Natera, Inc. $NTRA Shares Bought by Capital Impact Advisors LLC

Capital Impact Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 33.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 65,059 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 16,229 shares during the quarter. Natera accounts for about 2.3% of Capital Impact Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Capital Impact Advisors LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $10,473,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Natera by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 598,846 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $96,396,000 after acquiring an additional 1,907 shares during the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System increased its stake in shares of Natera by 2.9% in the third quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 223,651 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $36,001,000 after acquiring an additional 6,229 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 27.0% during the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 761,305 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $122,547,000 after purchasing an additional 161,972 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its position in Natera by 168.8% during the third quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 6,952 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,119,000 after purchasing an additional 4,366 shares during the period. Finally, Boothbay Fund Management LLC lifted its position in Natera by 847.3% during the third quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 17,497 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $2,816,000 after purchasing an additional 15,650 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on NTRA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Natera from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Natera from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Natera from $239.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Natera from $205.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a report on Monday, January 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Natera presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.47.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,623 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.13, for a total transaction of $1,147,822.99. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 156,607 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,968,186.91. The trade was a 3.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider John Fesko sold 707 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.13, for a total transaction of $144,319.91. Following the transaction, the insider owned 189,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,621,191.87. This trade represents a 0.37% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 318,222 shares of company stock worth $74,068,068 in the last ninety days. 5.63% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Natera Stock Performance

Natera stock opened at $187.85 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $219.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $206.42. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $125.38 and a 1 year high of $256.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.62 billion, a P/E ratio of -122.78 and a beta of 1.65.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The medical research company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.46) by $0.81. The company had revenue of $665.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $600.68 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 9.03% and a negative return on equity of 15.28%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.41) EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Natera Company Profile

Natera is a global diagnostics company that develops and commercializes cell-free DNA and other genetic testing technologies for clinical applications. The company focuses on three principal areas: reproductive health (including non-invasive prenatal testing and carrier screening), oncology (tumor-informed assays for minimal residual disease and recurrence monitoring), and organ transplantation (cell-free DNA tests to detect allograft injury). Natera combines laboratory testing, proprietary bioinformatics, and clinical reporting to deliver personalized genetic information to clinicians and patients.

Key product offerings include Panorama, a non-invasive prenatal test that screens for fetal chromosomal abnormalities and select single-gene conditions; Horizon carrier screening for inherited conditions; Signatera, a personalized, tumor-informed assay used for detecting minimal residual disease and monitoring treatment response in cancer patients; and Prospera, a donor-derived cell-free DNA test used to assess the risk of organ rejection.