Victory Capital Management Inc. Purchases 34,658 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA - Free Report) by 11.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 350,201 shares of the medical research company's stock after acquiring an additional 34,658 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned 0.27% of Natera worth $55,437,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NTRA. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Natera by 104.3% in the fourth 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 last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Natera by 345.8% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. increased its holdings in Natera by 20.7% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company's stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in Natera by 1,328.0% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 357 shares of the medical research company's stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in Natera by 34.3% during the third 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 last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Craig Hallum raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $121.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. StockNews.com raised Natera from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Natera has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $173.56.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In related news, insider John Fesko sold 669 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.60, for a total transaction of $106,772.40. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 114,142 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,217,063.20. This trade represents a 0.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 43,502 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.88, for a total transaction of $7,694,633.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 70,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,492,857.52. The trade was a 38.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 294,946 shares of company stock worth $47,212,702 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

Natera Price Performance

NASDAQ:NTRA traded up $7.39 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $140.02. The company had a trading volume of 2,219,470 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,338,070. The company has a market capitalization of $18.93 billion, a PE ratio of -79.56 and a beta of 1.80. The company has a quick ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. Natera, Inc. has a 52-week low of $83.13 and a 52-week high of $183.00. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $165.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $148.16.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.42) by $0.01. The firm 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, research analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share 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.