Banco BTG Pactual S.A. Buys Shares of 11,644 Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Banco BTG Pactual S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 11,644 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,870,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cerity Partners LLC increased its position in Natera by 27.0% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 86,144 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $10,936,000 after purchasing an additional 18,316 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Natera during the third quarter valued at about $385,000. Everence Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Natera during the fourth quarter worth about $573,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 50.3% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 657 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $104,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 87.3% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 67,906 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $8,621,000 after purchasing an additional 31,649 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Natera Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $154.58 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $160.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $150.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a current ratio of 4.39. Natera, Inc. has a 1-year low of $83.13 and a 1-year high of $183.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -87.83 and a beta of 1.80.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $447.91 million. Equities analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on NTRA. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Natera from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Natera from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Natera from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $178.12.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,702 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.03, for a total value of $978,693.06. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 203,354 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,695,784.62. This represents a 3.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 1,026 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.04, for a total transaction of $149,837.04. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 144,782 shares in the company, valued at $21,143,963.28. This represents a 0.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 306,797 shares of company stock worth $48,940,883. 7.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.