Two Sigma Advisers LP Boosts Stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 19.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 377,700 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 62,400 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP’s holdings in Natera were worth $59,790,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Securities Inc. raised its holdings in Natera by 20.7% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Natera by 1.7% in 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 during the period. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated increased its stake in shares of Natera by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 2,963 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $470,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC lifted its position in Natera by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. Colonial Trust Co SC now owns 1,325 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $210,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Natera by 104.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NTRA stock opened at $153.27 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $148.89 and a 200-day moving average price of $157.17. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $92.14 and a 52 week high of $183.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.93 billion, a PE ratio of -87.09 and a beta of 1.79.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.50) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.59) by $0.09. The business had revenue of $501.83 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $446.68 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The firm’s revenue was up 36.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.56) EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Natera news, insider John Fesko sold 343 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.55, for a total value of $49,923.65. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 156,946 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,843,490.30. This trade represents a 0.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.29, for a total transaction of $859,740.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 143,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,600,516.72. The trade was a 4.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 152,436 shares of company stock valued at $22,019,079 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Natera from $211.00 to $218.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on Natera in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $251.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price target on Natera from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Natera currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $182.12.

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.