Arizona State Retirement System Boosts Position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Arizona State Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 31,497 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 579 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System’s holdings in Natera were worth $1,973,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in Natera by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 6,216 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $389,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in Natera by 291.2% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 423,080 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $26,502,000 after buying an additional 314,935 shares during the period. RiverPark Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Natera in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Handelsinvest Investeringsforvaltning purchased a new stake in Natera in the 4th quarter valued at about $344,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Natera by 115.7% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,654,303 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $73,203,000 after buying an additional 887,409 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NTRA opened at $96.71 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $83.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $63.99. The company has a quick ratio of 3.96, a current ratio of 4.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The company has a market capitalization of $11.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -25.52 and a beta of 1.37. Natera, Inc. has a 52-week low of $36.90 and a 52-week high of $98.82.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The medical research company reported ($0.64) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.73) by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $311.11 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $300.38 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 62.19% and a negative net margin of 40.16%. Research analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -2.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 1,958 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.16, for a total value of $133,457.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 175,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,965,488. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 1,958 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.16, for a total value of $133,457.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 175,550 shares in the company, valued at $11,965,488. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 26,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.47, for a total value of $2,468,949.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 321,031 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,685,736.57. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 366,477 shares of company stock valued at $28,552,682 over the last three months. 9.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on NTRA shares. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $78.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. Craig Hallum started coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Monday. They set a “buy” rating and a $117.00 price target on the stock. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $70.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. BTIG Research boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 29th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $85.73.

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.