IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd Acquires 1,910 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd grew its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 97.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,869 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,910 shares during the period. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd's holdings in Natera were worth $612,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Natera by 104.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Natera by 345.8% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Natera by 372.9% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 261 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its position in Natera by 20.7% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in shares of Natera during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $57,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA traded up $4.35 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $145.00. 444,167 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,366,867. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $158.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $151.35. Natera, Inc. has a 52-week low of $83.13 and a 52-week high of $183.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.60 billion, a PE ratio of -82.05 and a beta of 1.80. The company has a quick ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 analysts' expectations of $447.91 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler raised their target price on Natera from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Robert W. Baird upped 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Natera from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $178.12.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total transaction of $12,958,888.41. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.77, for a total transaction of $117,861.51. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 156,044 shares of the company's stock, valued at $27,739,941.88. This represents a 0.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 318,922 shares of company stock valued at $50,619,104 in the last 90 days. Company 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.