Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd Raises Position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd grew its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 179.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 18,725 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 12,025 shares during the period. Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd's holdings in Natera were worth $2,964,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Natera by 104.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Natera by 345.8% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its stake in Natera by 34.3% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Natera by 372.9% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Natera by 20.7% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Remove Ads

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on NTRA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $251.00 price target for the company. Finally, Barclays began coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $178.12.

Natera Stock Up 3.1 %

Shares of NTRA traded up $4.59 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $150.87. The stock had a trading volume of 2,162,925 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,346,669. Natera, Inc. has a 1-year low of $83.13 and a 1-year high of $183.00. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $162.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $149.26. The company has a market cap of $20.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -85.72 and a beta of 1.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 4.23.

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, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.01. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The firm had revenue of $476.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $447.91 million. Equities research analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider John Fesko sold 669 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.60, for a total value of $106,772.40. Following the sale, the insider now owns 114,142 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,217,063.20. The trade was a 0.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total transaction of $12,958,888.41. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 267,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,150,756.13. The trade was a 22.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 298,946 shares of company stock valued at $47,803,462. Insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

About Natera

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.