Natera, Inc. $NTRA Stock Acquired by Kestra Advisory Services LLC

Kestra Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 32.8% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 12,748 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 3,152 shares during the quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $5,269,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Natera during the 2nd quarter valued at $2,962,770,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in Natera during the second quarter worth $199,960,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in Natera during the second quarter worth $150,143,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the second quarter worth $149,278,000. Finally, Avala Global LP acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the second quarter worth $124,867,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NTRA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. BTIG Research increased their price objective on Natera from $320.00 to $430.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 27th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Natera from $458.00 to $403.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Stephens upped their target price on shares of Natera from $305.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Roth Capital began coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $475.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Leerink Partners set a $330.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $394.31.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other news, CEO Steven Chapman sold 3,801 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $411.80, for a total value of $1,565,251.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 87,431 shares in the company, valued at $36,004,085.80. This trade represents a 4.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 15,160 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.89, for a total value of $4,955,652.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 110,859 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,238,698.51. This trade represents a 12.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 47,056 shares of company stock worth $17,760,989. 5.05% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Natera Stock Performance

Natera stock opened at $322.94 on Friday. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $181.00 and a 1 year high of $437.41. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $379.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $271.22.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The medical research company reported ($0.42) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.28) by ($0.14). Natera had a negative net margin of 5.66% and a negative return on equity of 8.61%. The company had revenue of $793.98 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $707.54 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($0.64) EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 34.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Natera Profile

Natera, Inc. is a diagnostics company that develops and provides genetic testing and molecular diagnostics for reproductive health, oncology and organ health. Its tests analyze cell-free DNA and other genetic material to support screening, diagnosis and disease monitoring. In reproductive health, Natera offers Panorama, a noninvasive prenatal screening test, and Horizon, a carrier screening test. Its oncology portfolio includes Signatera, a personalized circulating tumor DNA test used to monitor for molecular residual disease and assess cancer recurrence.