Neuberger Berman Group LLC Buys 1,557 Shares of Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Neuberger Berman Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 1.0% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 165,352 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 1,557 shares during the quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC owned about 0.12% of Natera worth $27,935,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its position in Natera by 9.5% in the first quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 4,727 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $668,000 after acquiring an additional 410 shares in the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise purchased a new stake in shares of Natera in the 1st quarter valued at $890,000. Vestcor Inc purchased a new position in Natera in the 1st quarter worth $326,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd boosted its position in Natera by 95.3% during the first quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 2,643 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $374,000 after buying an additional 1,290 shares during the period. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 1.8% during the first quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 30,822 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $4,359,000 after purchasing an additional 558 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,867 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.64, for a total transaction of $355,924.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 64,126 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,224,980.64. This trade represents a 2.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 160,703 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.96, for a total transaction of $32,134,171.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 308,366 shares of company stock valued at $63,050,068. Company insiders own 5.63% of the company’s stock.

Natera Stock Up 3.3%

NTRA stock opened at $245.06 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $192.49 and a 200 day moving average of $170.64. The firm has a market cap of $33.82 billion, a PE ratio of -107.01 and a beta of 1.75. Natera, Inc. has a twelve month low of $125.38 and a twelve month high of $241.28.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 7th. The medical research company reported ($0.64) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.39) by ($0.25). The firm 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 34.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted ($0.26) earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Natera from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. BTIG Research boosted their price objective on shares of Natera from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Natera from $195.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. UBS Group raised their price target on Natera from $218.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Natera from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $220.88.

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.