Swiss National Bank Purchases 4,900 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Swiss National Bank increased its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 232,800 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 4,900 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned 0.18% of Natera worth $36,852,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in Natera by 27.0% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 86,144 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $10,936,000 after purchasing an additional 18,316 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Natera in the third quarter valued at $385,000. Everence Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Natera in the fourth quarter valued at $573,000. Alpha DNA Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Natera in the third quarter valued at $505,000. Finally, First Turn Management LLC bought a new stake in Natera in the third quarter valued at $19,760,000. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other news, insider John Fesko sold 663 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.77, for a total value of $117,861.51. Following the sale, the insider now owns 156,044 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,739,941.88. The trade was a 0.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 24,861 shares of the business’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 $4,101,319.17. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 140,684 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,208,639.48. This trade represents a 15.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 298,946 shares of company stock worth $47,803,462 over the last three months. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Natera Stock Up 4.0 %

Natera stock opened at $148.22 on Monday. Natera, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $83.13 and a fifty-two week high of $183.00. The stock has a market cap of $20.04 billion, a PE ratio of -84.22 and a beta of 1.80. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $163.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $148.83. 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 (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.42) by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $476.10 million for 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%. Research analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on NTRA. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target 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. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, February 28th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Thursday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $251.00 price objective for the company. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Natera from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.