M&G Plc Purchases 3,001 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

M&G Plc increased its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 104,302 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,001 shares during the quarter. M&G Plc owned about 0.08% of Natera worth $13,246,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new position in Natera in the second quarter worth $28,000. Quarry LP grew its stake in Natera by 148.4% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 318 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Natera by 50.0% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 324 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Tobam purchased a new stake in Natera in the second quarter valued at about $74,000. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale acquired a new stake in Natera in the first quarter worth about $83,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Stock Performance

NTRA opened at $130.39 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $124.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $113.28. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $40.61 and a 1 year high of $133.54. The stock has a market cap of $16.13 billion, a P/E ratio of -53.22 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 4.14 and a quick ratio of 4.01.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.30) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.69) by $0.39. Natera had a negative net margin of 21.47% and a negative return on equity of 36.74%. The business had revenue of $413.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $343.00 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.97) earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 58.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Natera news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,866 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.45, for a total value of $235,955.70. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 68,851 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,706,208.95. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.01, for a total value of $1,452,120.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 287,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $34,783,235.41. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,866 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.45, for a total value of $235,955.70. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 68,851 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,706,208.95. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 50,164 shares of company stock valued at $6,157,291. 7.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NTRA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Natera from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on Natera from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $125.69.

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.