Franklin Resources Inc. Purchases 328,375 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 42.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,099,335 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 328,375 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 0.83% of Natera worth $144,958,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Natera by 59.6% during the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,218 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $998,000 after acquiring an additional 3,442 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its holdings in Natera by 50.6% in the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 13,622 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $1,475,000 after purchasing an additional 4,575 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB bought a new stake in Natera in the second quarter worth approximately $2,166,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in Natera by 39.5% in the second quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 517,941 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $56,088,000 after purchasing an additional 146,670 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the second quarter valued at approximately $550,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Natera news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 4,858 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.59, for a total transaction of $809,294.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 114,912 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,143,190.08. The trade was a 4.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 1,767 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.24, for a total value of $300,814.08. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,202 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,055,828.48. The trade was a 22.17 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 132,963 shares of company stock worth $21,250,107 in the last quarter. 7.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA traded up $4.25 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $170.80. 1,378,811 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,330,675. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $144.87 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $125.09. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $57.22 and a 52-week high of $175.63. The company has a market capitalization of $22.55 billion, a P/E ratio of -97.05 and a beta of 1.63.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.57) by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $439.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $361.43 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.95) EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.61 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Craig Hallum upped their price objective on Natera from $121.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Natera from $132.00 to $176.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on Natera from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Natera currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $152.67.

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.