Gries Financial LLC Takes Position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Gries Financial LLC purchased a new position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 1,804 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $286,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Natera by 205.4% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,800,263 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $355,493,000 after purchasing an additional 1,883,481 shares during the last quarter. PointState Capital LP raised its holdings in Natera by 112.0% during the 3rd quarter. PointState Capital LP now owns 782,538 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $99,343,000 after buying an additional 413,468 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in Natera by 42.6% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,099,335 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $144,958,000 after buying an additional 328,375 shares during the last quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Natera by 65.6% during the third quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 687,703 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $87,304,000 after buying an additional 272,361 shares during the period. Finally, Maverick Capital Ltd. increased its position in Natera by 25.2% during the third quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. now owns 1,340,045 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $170,119,000 after acquiring an additional 269,706 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other news, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 2,212 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.53, for a total value of $350,668.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 19,386 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,073,262.58. This trade represents a 10.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 946 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.98, for a total value of $162,693.08. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 109,474 shares in the company, valued at $18,827,338.52. This represents a 0.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 243,122 shares of company stock worth $40,336,290 over the last quarter. Insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Natera Price Performance

NASDAQ NTRA opened at $176.27 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $23.27 billion, a PE ratio of -100.15 and a beta of 1.65. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $166.70 and its 200-day moving average price is $137.70. 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 52-week low of $64.74 and a 52-week high of $183.00.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.57) by $0.31. The business had revenue of $439.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $361.43 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 63.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.95) EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on NTRA. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Natera from $132.00 to $176.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Natera from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on Natera from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Craig Hallum increased their target price on Natera from $121.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $165.88.

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.