DnB Asset Management AS Invests $235,000 in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

DnB Asset Management AS purchased a new stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 1,483 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $235,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Natera in the third quarter worth approximately $385,000. Everence Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter valued at $573,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Natera by 50.3% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 657 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $104,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in shares of Natera by 87.3% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 67,906 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $8,621,000 after purchasing an additional 31,649 shares during the period. Finally, SeaBridge Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Natera in the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,894,000. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total transaction of $12,958,888.41. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 267,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,150,756.13. This trade represents a 22.69 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.69, for a total transaction of $590,760.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 9,704 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,433,183.76. This represents a 29.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 318,922 shares of company stock valued at $50,619,104. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Natera Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $143.20 on Thursday. 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 fifty-two week low of $83.13 and a fifty-two week high of $183.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.36 billion, a PE ratio of -81.36 and a beta of 1.80. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $158.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $151.29.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.42) by $0.01. The business had revenue of $476.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $447.91 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. Equities analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NTRA has been the subject of several research reports. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Natera from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Natera presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $178.12.

Natera Company 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.