Vanguard Group Inc. Has $1.95 Billion Stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 7.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,316,470 shares of the medical research company's stock after purchasing an additional 879,463 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 9.33% of Natera worth $1,949,697,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in 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 acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 345.8% during the fourth 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. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 372.9% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. raised its stake in shares of Natera by 20.7% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in Natera in the third quarter worth about $57,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company's stock.

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Natera Stock Performance

NTRA stock traded down $6.12 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $137.82. The stock had a trading volume of 470,432 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,361,479. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -78.32 and a beta of 1.80. The company has a current ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $159.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $151.13. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $83.13 and a 52 week high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.42) by $0.01. The company had revenue of $476.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $447.91 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. StockNews.com raised Natera from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $178.12.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other Natera news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 24,861 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total value of $4,101,319.17. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 140,684 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $23,208,639.48. This represents a 15.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total transaction of $12,958,888.41. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 267,629 shares in the company, valued at $44,150,756.13. The trade was a 22.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 306,797 shares of company stock valued at $48,940,883 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

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.