Neuberger Berman Group LLC Grows Holdings in Natera, Inc. $NTRA

Neuberger Berman Group LLC lifted its stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 14.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 188,480 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 23,128 shares during the quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $30,340,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its stake in Natera by 95.7% during the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 225 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera in the third quarter valued at $46,000. Hilltop National Bank raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 59.8% in the 3rd quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 310 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the period. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Natera by 256.8% during the 2nd quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC now owns 314 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Natera by 23.1% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 431 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on NTRA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Natera from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Natera from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Stephens raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $197.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Natera from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.47.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider John Fesko sold 3,594 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $231.02, for a total transaction of $830,285.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 178,081 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,140,272.62. The trade was a 1.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 3,950 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.02, for a total value of $790,079.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 156,607 shares in the company, valued at $31,324,532.14. This trade represents a 2.46% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 363,303 shares of company stock valued at $84,523,079 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 5.63% of the company’s stock.

Natera Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $198.13 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $223.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $205.28. The stock has a market cap of $28.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -129.50 and a beta of 1.65. Natera, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $125.38 and a fifty-two week high of $256.36.

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

Natera 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.