DnB Asset Management AS Acquires Shares of 1,483 Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

DnB Asset Management AS bought a new position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 1,483 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $235,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in NTRA. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Natera by 104.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Natera by 372.9% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its stake in Natera by 20.7% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Natera by 1,328.0% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 357 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other Natera news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 2,562 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.41, for a total transaction of $354,606.42. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 75,557 shares in the company, valued at $10,457,844.37. This represents a 3.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.77, for a total transaction of $117,861.51. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 156,044 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,739,941.88. This trade represents a 0.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 318,922 shares of company stock worth $50,619,104 in the last three months. 7.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NTRA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, February 28th. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 target price for the company. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Natera from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $178.12.

Natera Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $143.20 on Thursday. Natera, Inc. has a 1-year low of $83.13 and a 1-year high of $183.00. The firm has a market cap of $19.36 billion, a PE ratio of -81.36 and a beta of 1.80. The company has a 50-day moving average of $158.15 and a two-hundred day moving average of $151.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 4.23.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its earnings results 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. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The company had revenue of $476.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $447.91 million. On average, analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current 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.