Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Has $117.27 Million Holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 10.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 740,837 shares of the medical research company's stock after buying an additional 69,455 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned about 0.56% of Natera worth $117,274,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Natera by 104.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of Natera by 345.8% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd grew its position in shares of Natera by 34.3% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Natera by 32.7% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 430 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $57,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NTRA has been the subject of several research analyst reports. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Leerink Partners boosted their target price on Natera from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Natera from $132.00 to $176.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Barclays assumed coverage on Natera in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $200.00 target price on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Natera has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $165.88.

Natera Stock Performance

NASDAQ NTRA traded up $2.24 on Wednesday, reaching $171.95. The stock had a trading volume of 989,410 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,332,743. The company has a market cap of $22.70 billion, a P/E ratio of -97.70 and a beta of 1.66. Natera, Inc. has a 1-year low of $67.33 and a 1-year high of $183.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 4.23. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $167.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $142.15.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.57) by $0.31. The company 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%. Natera's quarterly revenue was up 63.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.95) EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other Natera news, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 2,212 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.53, for a total value of $350,668.36. Following the transaction, the director now owns 19,386 shares in the company, valued at $3,073,262.58. The trade was a 10.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.77, for a total value of $117,861.51. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 156,044 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,739,941.88. This represents a 0.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 312,394 shares of company stock valued at $52,333,520. 7.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.