Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Shares Acquired by Jennison Associates LLC

Jennison Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 121.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 472,147 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 259,336 shares during the quarter. Jennison Associates LLC owned 0.39% of Natera worth $43,183,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in NTRA. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 0.8% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 533,889 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $23,625,000 after purchasing an additional 4,291 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its stake in Natera by 33.4% in the 3rd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 374,004 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $16,550,000 after acquiring an additional 93,556 shares in the last quarter. Banque Pictet & Cie SA boosted its position in Natera by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. Banque Pictet & Cie SA now owns 142,850 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $6,321,000 after acquiring an additional 9,755 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in Natera by 115.7% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,654,303 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $73,203,000 after acquiring an additional 887,409 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Handelsinvest Investeringsforvaltning acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the 4th quarter valued at about $344,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Stock Performance

NTRA stock traded down $3.22 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $109.52. 788,134 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,321,312. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.45 billion, a PE ratio of -35.10 and a beta of 1.48. The business has a 50-day moving average of $106.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $88.19. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $36.90 and a 52 week high of $117.23. The company has a quick ratio of 3.98, a current ratio of 4.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The medical research company reported ($0.56) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.72) by $0.16. Natera had a negative return on equity of 49.72% and a negative net margin of 30.24%. The firm had revenue of $367.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $316.31 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($1.23) EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 52.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -2.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.55, for a total transaction of $89,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 69,082 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,186,293.10. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 37,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.10, for a total value of $4,053,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 213,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,063,243.10. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.55, for a total transaction of $89,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 69,082 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,186,293.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 201,770 shares of company stock valued at $20,023,161. 7.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Natera from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Craig Hallum initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Monday, April 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $117.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded Natera from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Natera from $123.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 10th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on Natera from $100.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $101.19.

Natera 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.