Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group Raises Stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group grew its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 109.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 745 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 389 shares during the period. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group’s holdings in Natera were worth $47,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in shares of Natera by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 6,216 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $389,000 after buying an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its stake in Natera by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 45,469 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $2,012,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in Natera by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 83,843 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $3,710,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. Xponance Inc. raised its stake in Natera by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 14,506 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $642,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its stake in Natera by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 43,299 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,897,000 after purchasing an additional 341 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $78.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $70.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Craig Hallum initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Monday, April 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $117.00 target price for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Natera from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $120.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Raymond James downgraded shares of Natera from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $68.00 to $85.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued 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 price target of $86.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Natera news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 80,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.82, for a total value of $7,265,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 117,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,676,799.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Natera news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 80,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.82, for a total value of $7,265,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 117,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,676,799.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,816 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.13, for a total value of $634,774.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 227,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,206,632.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 453,293 shares of company stock valued at $36,453,056. 9.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Natera Trading Down 3.4 %

NTRA opened at $87.28 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $85.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.57. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $36.90 and a 1 year high of $98.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 4.10 and a quick ratio of 3.96.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The medical research company reported ($0.64) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.73) by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $311.11 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $300.38 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 40.16% and a negative return on equity of 62.19%. Analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -2.35 EPS for the current year.

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.