IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd Grows Stock Position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd increased its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 97.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 3,869 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,910 shares during the period. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd’s holdings in Natera were worth $612,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Natera during the third quarter worth $385,000. Everence Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Natera during the fourth quarter worth about $573,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Natera by 50.3% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 657 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $104,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in Natera by 87.3% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 67,906 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $8,621,000 after purchasing an additional 31,649 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SeaBridge Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,894,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Natera

In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total value of $12,958,888.41. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 267,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,150,756.13. This trade represents a 22.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 43,502 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.88, for a total transaction of $7,694,633.76. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 70,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,492,857.52. This trade represents a 38.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 306,797 shares of company stock worth $48,940,883 over the last three months. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Natera Stock Down 2.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $143.94 on Friday. Natera, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $83.13 and a fifty-two week high of $183.00. 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 firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $159.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $150.72. The company has a market cap of $19.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -81.78 and a beta of 1.80.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.42) by $0.01. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The company had revenue of $476.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $447.91 million. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on NTRA. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Natera from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $251.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Natera from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Natera in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Natera has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $178.12.

About Natera

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.