M&G Plc Buys 11,200 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

M&G Plc lifted its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 12.4% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 101,301 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,200 shares during the period. M&G Plc’s holdings in Natera were worth $10,941,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of Natera by 1,073.1% in the second quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 65,730 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $7,118,000 after acquiring an additional 60,127 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Natera by 1,043.3% during the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 90,423 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $5,664,000 after acquiring an additional 82,514 shares during the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 101.2% in the 4th quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 145,996 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $9,058,000 after buying an additional 73,419 shares during the period. Thematics Asset Management grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Thematics Asset Management now owns 90,232 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $5,652,000 after buying an additional 2,738 shares during the period. Finally, Crestline Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Natera by 16.0% in the 4th quarter. Crestline Management LP now owns 65,070 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $4,076,000 after buying an additional 8,997 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on NTRA. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, August 9th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Monday, June 3rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $142.00 target price for the company. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 9th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price target on shares of Natera from $100.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $119.07.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In related news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,866 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.65, for a total transaction of $185,946.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 71,955 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,170,315.75. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 1,866 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.65, for a total value of $185,946.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 71,955 shares in the company, valued at $7,170,315.75. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.30, for a total transaction of $108,300.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 68,582 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,427,430.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 81,608 shares of company stock valued at $8,821,241. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Natera Stock Performance

Natera stock opened at $119.02 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $108.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $96.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 3.98 and a current ratio of 4.12. The stock has a market cap of $14.62 billion, a P/E ratio of -38.15 and a beta of 1.48. Natera, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $36.90 and a fifty-two week high of $119.23.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.30) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.69) by $0.39. The business had revenue of $413.35 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $343.00 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 30.24% and a negative return on equity of 49.72%. The company’s revenue was up 58.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.97) EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -2.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.