JPMorgan Chase & Co. Raises Holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 43.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,701,425 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,036,396 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned about 5.08% of Natera worth $1,060,836,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in Natera by 104.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Natera by 345.8% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 372.9% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of Natera by 20.7% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the third quarter worth $57,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,702 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.03, for a total transaction of $978,693.06. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 203,354 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,695,784.62. This represents a 3.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 25,931 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total value of $4,277,837.07. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 109,665 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,091,435.05. The trade was a 19.12 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 306,797 shares of company stock valued at $48,940,883 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Natera Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $148.30 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $20.05 billion, a P/E ratio of -84.26 and a beta of 1.80. The company has a current ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The business’s 50 day moving average is $159.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $150.54. Natera, Inc. has a twelve month low of $83.13 and a twelve month high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 analyst estimates of $447.91 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. Equities analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Barclays initiated coverage on Natera in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Thursday, March 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $251.00 target price for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Natera currently 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.