KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Acquires Shares of 23,800 Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 23,800 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $3,768,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in Natera during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $878,000. Semanteon Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Natera by 25.6% during the 4th quarter. Semanteon Capital Management LP now owns 9,027 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,429,000 after buying an additional 1,840 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its stake in Natera by 37.9% in the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 43,693 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $6,917,000 after buying an additional 11,999 shares during the last quarter. Nikko Asset Management Americas Inc. raised its holdings in Natera by 10.3% in the 4th quarter. Nikko Asset Management Americas Inc. now owns 740,837 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $117,274,000 after acquiring an additional 69,455 shares during the period. Finally, Twin Tree Management LP boosted its holdings in Natera by 223.7% during the fourth quarter. Twin Tree Management LP now owns 17,321 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $2,742,000 after acquiring an additional 31,321 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company's stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on Natera in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $251.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, February 28th. 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, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $178.12.

Natera Price Performance

NASDAQ NTRA traded down $4.36 during trading on Friday, reaching $143.94. 1,258,459 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,364,577. Natera, Inc. has a 1-year low of $83.13 and a 1-year high of $183.00. The company has a market cap of $19.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -81.78 and a beta of 1.80. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $159.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $151.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a current ratio of 4.39.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.01. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The business had revenue of $476.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $447.91 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other Natera news, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.77, for a total value of $117,861.51. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 156,044 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,739,941.88. The trade was a 0.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 1,026 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.04, for a total value of $149,837.04. Following the sale, the insider now owns 144,782 shares in the company, valued at $21,143,963.28. The trade was a 0.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 306,797 shares of company stock valued at $48,940,883. 7.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.