CenterBook Partners LP Makes New Investment in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

CenterBook Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund acquired 101,922 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,413,000. Natera accounts for approximately 0.9% of CenterBook Partners LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 0.6% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,393,827 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,752,611,000 after acquiring an additional 77,357 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in Natera by 134.9% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,742,428 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,067,327,000 after acquiring an additional 3,871,862 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Natera by 43.7% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,701,425 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,060,836,000 after acquiring an additional 2,036,396 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 15.7% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,240,041 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $512,898,000 after purchasing an additional 439,778 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Natera by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,232,681 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $355,809,000 after purchasing an additional 142,201 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gail Boxer Marcus sold 4,299 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $167.36, for a total transaction of $719,480.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 8,118 shares in the company, valued at $1,358,628.48. The trade was a 34.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,343 shares of Natera stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.53, for a total transaction of $889,769.79. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 173,728 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $28,930,923.84. This trade represents a 2.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 53,272 shares of company stock valued at $8,345,368. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Natera Stock Down 1.8%

NTRA stock opened at $160.43 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $21.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -109.14 and a beta of 1.73. Natera, Inc. has a twelve month low of $92.14 and a twelve month high of $183.00. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $161.05 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $158.41.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.50) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.59) by $0.09. Natera had a negative return on equity of 18.29% and a negative net margin of 10.36%. The business had revenue of $501.83 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $446.68 million. During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.56) EPS. The business’s revenue was up 36.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NTRA has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 17th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Natera from $211.00 to $218.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Natera has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $184.63.

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.