Maverick Capital Ltd. Buys 271,657 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Maverick Capital Ltd. grew its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 34.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,070,339 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 271,657 shares during the quarter. Natera comprises approximately 2.2% of Maverick Capital Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Maverick Capital Ltd. owned about 0.87% of Natera worth $115,907,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in Natera by 1,073.1% in the 2nd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 65,730 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $7,118,000 after purchasing an additional 60,127 shares in the last quarter. Thematics Asset Management boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 3.1% in the fourth 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. Crestline Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 16.0% in the fourth 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. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Natera by 15.1% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 74,460 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $6,810,000 after acquiring an additional 9,781 shares during the period. Finally, Perceptive Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Natera by 289.7% in the 4th quarter. Perceptive Advisors LLC now owns 850,225 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $53,258,000 after acquiring an additional 632,047 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group dropped their price target on Natera from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Natera in a research note on Monday, June 3rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $142.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. BTIG Research upped their price objective on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group raised their target price on shares of Natera from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. One equities 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 currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $120.07.

Natera Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $123.85 on Friday. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $36.90 and a 1 year high of $132.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 4.14 and a quick ratio of 4.01. The business’s 50-day moving average is $115.58 and its 200-day moving average is $106.26. The company has a market capitalization of $15.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -39.70 and a beta of 1.53.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted 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. Natera had a negative return on equity of 36.74% and a negative net margin of 21.47%. The firm had revenue of $413.35 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $343.00 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.97) EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 58.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 37,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.10, for a total value of $4,053,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 213,351 shares in the company, valued at $23,063,243.10. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 4,983 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.37, for a total value of $540,007.71. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 75,059 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,134,143.83. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 37,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.10, for a total value of $4,053,750.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 213,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,063,243.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 93,921 shares of company stock valued at $10,551,281. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

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.