Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC Buys New Position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC purchased a new position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 158,183 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,467,000. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC owned about 0.13% of Natera at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Natera during the fourth quarter valued at about $83,970,000. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 115.7% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,654,303 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $73,203,000 after buying an additional 887,409 shares during the period. Perceptive Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Natera by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,971,895 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $687,280,000 after acquiring an additional 588,147 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new position in Natera during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,626,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Natera news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.55, for a total value of $89,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 69,082 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,186,293.10. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.55, for a total value of $89,550.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 69,082 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,186,293.10. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,816 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.13, for a total transaction of $634,774.08. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 227,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,206,632.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 201,770 shares of company stock worth $20,023,161 in the last ninety days. 7.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on NTRA shares. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Natera from $123.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 10th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Natera in a research note on Monday, June 3rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $142.00 target price for the company. BTIG Research upped their price target on Natera from $100.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 13th. Craig Hallum began coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Monday, April 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $117.00 target price on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Natera from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $101.19.

Natera Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of Natera stock traded up $1.70 on Wednesday, reaching $111.13. The company had a trading volume of 662,564 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,312,398. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $107.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $88.53. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $36.90 and a 1 year high of $117.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 4.12 and a quick ratio of 3.98.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 9th. The medical research company reported ($0.56) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.72) by $0.16. Natera had a negative net margin of 30.24% and a negative return on equity of 49.72%. The business had revenue of $367.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $316.31 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($1.23) earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 52.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -2.43 earnings per share for the current year.

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.