Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Shares Bought by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV grew its stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 753.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,551 shares of the medical research company's stock after buying an additional 24,324 shares during the period. KBC Group NV's holdings in Natera were worth $4,361,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Natera by 37.9% during the 3rd quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC now owns 41,302 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $5,243,000 after purchasing an additional 11,362 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 27.0% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 86,144 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $10,936,000 after acquiring an additional 18,316 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Natera in the third quarter valued at approximately $385,000. Everence Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Natera in the 4th quarter valued at $573,000. Finally, First Turn Management LLC purchased a new position in Natera in the 3rd quarter valued at $19,760,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,886 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.60, for a total transaction of $333,067.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 101,811 shares in the company, valued at $17,979,822.60. This represents a 1.82 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 13,685 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.87, for a total value of $2,269,930.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 253,944 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,121,691.28. The trade was a 5.11 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 268,229 shares of company stock valued at $44,521,025 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

Natera Stock Down 0.2 %

Natera stock traded down $0.36 during trading on Monday, reaching $176.56. The stock had a trading volume of 1,422,716 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,411,039. 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 $66.68 and a 52-week high of $183.00. The stock has a market cap of $23.31 billion, a PE ratio of -100.32 and a beta of 1.66. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $166.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $138.50.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.57) by $0.31. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The firm had revenue of $439.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $361.43 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.95) earnings per share. Natera's revenue for the quarter was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.56 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on NTRA shares. Leerink Partners upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Natera from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Natera from $150.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $165.88.

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.