5,282 Shares in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Bought by QRG Capital Management Inc.

QRG Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 5,282 shares of the medical research company's stock, valued at approximately $671,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of NTRA. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in Natera by 1,073.1% during the 2nd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 65,730 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $7,118,000 after purchasing an additional 60,127 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of Natera by 15.1% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 74,460 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $6,810,000 after buying an additional 9,781 shares in the last quarter. Natixis bought a new position in Natera during the first quarter worth about $758,000. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft acquired a new position in Natera in the second quarter valued at about $478,000. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in Natera in the first quarter valued at about $707,000. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on NTRA. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Natera from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com raised Natera from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $125.69.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 2,700 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.82, for a total transaction of $307,314.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 299,441 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $34,082,374.62. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 2,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.82, for a total value of $307,314.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 299,441 shares of the company's stock, valued at $34,082,374.62. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 4,523 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.40, for a total transaction of $589,799.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 191,163 shares of the company's stock, valued at $24,927,655.20. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 50,164 shares of company stock worth $6,157,291. Insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

Natera Stock Up 2.9 %

NTRA traded up $3.72 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $134.11. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,228,911 shares, compared to its average volume of 870,319. The company's 50-day moving average is $124.35 and its 200-day moving average is $113.91. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $44.77 and a 52 week high of $134.33. The company has a quick ratio of 4.01, a current ratio of 4.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.30) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.69) by $0.39. The company had revenue of $413.35 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $343.00 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 21.47% and a negative return on equity of 36.74%. The company's revenue was up 58.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.97) earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.