The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Buys 31,649 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 87.3% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 67,906 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 31,649 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s holdings in Natera were worth $8,621,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Farallon Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Natera by 13.6% during the second quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 4,460,557 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $483,034,000 after acquiring an additional 532,874 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in Natera by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,482,818 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $315,194,000 after purchasing an additional 85,236 shares during the last quarter. Duquesne Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in Natera by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Duquesne Family Office LLC now owns 1,974,880 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $213,860,000 after purchasing an additional 45,500 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in Natera by 25.0% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,229,558 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $156,092,000 after purchasing an additional 246,246 shares during the period. Finally, Driehaus Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Natera by 14.6% in the 2nd quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 1,220,768 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $132,197,000 after buying an additional 155,802 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Natera Price Performance

NTRA stock opened at $169.17 on Wednesday. Natera, Inc. has a 12-month low of $55.56 and a 12-month high of $171.95. 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’s fifty day simple moving average is $137.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $121.28. The firm has a market cap of $22.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -96.12 and a beta of 1.63.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.57) by $0.31. The business had revenue of $439.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $361.43 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 63.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.95) EPS. On average, analysts expect that Natera, Inc. will post -1.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on NTRA shares. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their target price on shares of Natera from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Natera from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Natera currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $140.59.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other Natera news, Director Rowan E. Chapman sold 2,614 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.68, for a total value of $333,755.52. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 7,969 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,017,481.92. This trade represents a 24.70 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 5,024 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.48, for a total transaction of $645,483.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 195,686 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,141,737.28. The trade was a 2.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 46,503 shares of company stock valued at $6,325,804. 7.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Natera 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.