ARK Investment Management LLC Buys 200,008 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

ARK Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 29.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 887,711 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 200,008 shares during the quarter. Natera makes up approximately 1.2% of ARK Investment Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. ARK Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $140,525,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 205.4% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,800,263 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $355,493,000 after acquiring an additional 1,883,481 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 3.6% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,482,818 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $315,194,000 after acquiring an additional 85,236 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 25.2% in the third quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. now owns 1,340,045 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $170,119,000 after acquiring an additional 269,706 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Castle Hook Partners LP raised its holdings in Natera by 27.4% in the 3rd quarter. Castle Hook Partners LP now owns 1,140,090 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $144,734,000 after buying an additional 245,505 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In related news, Director Roelof Botha sold 87,473 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.12, for a total value of $14,793,433.76. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,224,787 shares in the company, valued at $207,135,977.44. This trade represents a 6.67 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 295,772 shares of company stock valued at $49,741,699 in the last quarter. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $156.00 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $20.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -88.64 and a beta of 1.66. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $70.71 and a 52 week high of $183.00. The company has a quick ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $167.49 and a 200-day moving average of $146.50.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company. Craig Hallum raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $121.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $132.00 to $176.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $170.94.

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.