M&G Plc Boosts Stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

M&G Plc boosted its holdings in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 104,302 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,001 shares during the period. M&G Plc’s holdings in Natera were worth $13,246,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Natera by 0.7% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,044,743 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,010,152,000 after purchasing an additional 72,848 shares in the last quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Natera by 13.6% during the second quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 4,460,557 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $483,034,000 after buying an additional 532,874 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in Natera by 6.6% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,397,582 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $259,634,000 after buying an additional 148,917 shares in the last quarter. Duquesne Family Office LLC increased its stake in shares of Natera by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. Duquesne Family Office LLC now owns 1,974,880 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $213,860,000 after acquiring an additional 45,500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 25.0% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,229,558 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $156,092,000 after acquiring an additional 246,246 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Stock Up 2.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA opened at $130.39 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $16.13 billion, a P/E ratio of -53.22 and a beta of 1.53. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $124.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $113.28. Natera, Inc. has a 12-month low of $40.61 and a 12-month high of $133.54. The company has a current ratio of 4.14, a quick ratio of 4.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.30) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.69) by $0.39. Natera had a negative return on equity of 36.74% and a negative net margin of 21.47%. The company had revenue of $413.35 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $343.00 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.97) EPS. Natera’s revenue for the quarter was up 58.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,866 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.45, for a total value of $235,955.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 68,851 shares in the company, valued at $8,706,208.95. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.01, for a total transaction of $1,452,120.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 287,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $34,783,235.41. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,866 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.45, for a total value of $235,955.70. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 68,851 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,706,208.95. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 50,164 shares of company stock worth $6,157,291. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Natera from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, September 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Natera has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.69.

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.