Handelsbanken Fonder AB Grows Holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 104,100 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 2,300 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Natera were worth $16,479,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Securities Inc. grew 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 buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Natera by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 3,629 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $574,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated grew its position in shares of Natera by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 2,963 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $470,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its position in shares of Natera by 34.3% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Natera by 104.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA opened at $162.31 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 4.23 and a current ratio of 4.39. The company has a market cap of $21.43 billion, a PE ratio of -92.22 and a beta of 1.66. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $167.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $145.23. Natera, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $69.74 and a fifty-two week high of $183.00.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NTRA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $170.94.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In other news, insider John Fesko sold 669 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.60, for a total value of $106,772.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 114,142 shares in the company, valued at $18,217,063.20. This trade represents a 0.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total value of $12,958,888.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 267,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,150,756.13. The trade was a 22.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 295,772 shares of company stock worth $49,741,699 over the last three months. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.