Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Shares Purchased by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,012,498 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 28,751 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.77% of Natera worth $128,537,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of NTRA. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 37.9% during the third quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC now owns 41,302 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $5,243,000 after acquiring an additional 11,362 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in Natera by 27.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 86,144 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $10,936,000 after purchasing an additional 18,316 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Natera during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $385,000. Jag Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 8.8% in the third quarter. Jag Capital Management LLC now owns 175,590 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $22,291,000 after buying an additional 14,159 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Turn Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Natera during the third quarter worth $19,760,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.67, for a total value of $377,010.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 57,432 shares in the company, valued at $7,217,479.44. The trade was a 4.96 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 1,709 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.76, for a total transaction of $206,378.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 194,615 shares in the company, valued at $23,501,707.40. This trade represents a 0.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 130,263 shares of company stock worth $20,905,668 in the last 90 days. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com lowered Natera from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Natera from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Natera from $132.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $152.67.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NTRA stock traded up $3.79 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $161.88. 3,137,919 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,339,503. Natera, Inc. has a 12-month low of $58.21 and a 12-month high of $175.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a current ratio of 4.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -91.98 and a beta of 1.63. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $147.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $126.33.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $439.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $361.43 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.95) earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 63.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.61 EPS for the current year.

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.