Prudential Financial Inc. Buys 2,824 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Prudential Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 18.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,370 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,824 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc.'s holdings in Natera were worth $2,683,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Natera by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,316,470 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $1,949,697,000 after acquiring an additional 879,463 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Natera by 205.4% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,800,263 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $355,493,000 after purchasing an additional 1,883,481 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Natera by 7.4% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,090,480 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $265,747,000 after acquiring an additional 143,825 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Natera by 42.6% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,099,335 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $144,958,000 after purchasing an additional 328,375 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Natera by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,012,498 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $128,537,000 after purchasing an additional 28,751 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total value of $12,958,888.41. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 267,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,150,756.13. The trade was a 22.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 43,502 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.88, for a total transaction of $7,694,633.76. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 70,629 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,492,857.52. This trade represents a 38.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 325,922 shares of company stock worth $51,603,664 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

Natera Price Performance

NTRA traded down $6.03 on Tuesday, hitting $132.23. 1,848,770 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,383,174. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $154.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $151.55. The company has a current ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. Natera, Inc. has a one year low of $83.13 and a one year high of $183.00. The firm has a market cap of $17.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -75.13 and a beta of 1.80.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NTRA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays began coverage on Natera in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Royal Bank of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Thursday, March 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $251.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $178.12.

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.