Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Acquires 1,263 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 26,339 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 1,263 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Natera were worth $3,344,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cynosure Group LLC bought a new stake in Natera in the 3rd quarter worth about $370,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in Natera in the third quarter worth about $70,000. Millrace Asset Group Inc. boosted its position in Natera by 22.5% in the third quarter. Millrace Asset Group Inc. now owns 12,144 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,542,000 after purchasing an additional 2,228 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in Natera by 87.3% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 67,906 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $8,621,000 after purchasing an additional 31,649 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd boosted its position in Natera by 90.7% in the third quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 7,774 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $987,000 after purchasing an additional 3,697 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on NTRA. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Natera from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. UBS Group dropped 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. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Natera from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. BTIG Research raised their target price on Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Natera from $150.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $140.59.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 4,728 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.41, for a total transaction of $692,226.48. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 185,034 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,090,827.94. The trade was a 2.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 9,682 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.98, for a total value of $1,548,926.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 9,704 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,552,445.92. The trade was a 49.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 46,503 shares of company stock valued at $6,325,804 in the last quarter. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Natera Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NTRA opened at $169.17 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $137.36 and its 200 day moving average is $121.28. The company has a market capitalization of $22.33 billion, a PE ratio of -96.12 and a beta of 1.63. Natera, Inc. has a 12-month low of $55.56 and a 12-month high of $171.95. The company has a current ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.57) by $0.31. The company had revenue of $439.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $361.43 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 63.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.95) EPS. Research analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.