Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Increases Stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 5.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,339 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,263 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Natera were worth $3,344,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in shares of Natera during the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in Natera by 148.4% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 318 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in Natera by 34.3% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in Natera during the 3rd quarter valued at about $70,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 2,614 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.68, for a total transaction of $333,755.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,969 shares in the company, valued at $1,017,481.92. This trade represents a 24.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 256 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.07, for a total value of $30,737.92. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 111,891 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,434,752.37. The trade was a 0.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 46,503 shares of company stock worth $6,325,804 over the last three months. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NTRA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Piper Sandler increased their target price on Natera from $150.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. StockNews.com cut Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Natera from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price target on Natera from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Natera has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.59.

Natera Price Performance

NTRA opened at $169.17 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $137.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $121.28. 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 company has a market cap of $22.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -96.12 and a beta of 1.63. Natera, Inc. has a 12-month low of $55.56 and a 12-month high of $171.95.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.57) by $0.31. The business had revenue of $439.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $361.43 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.95) earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.