Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Shares Sold by Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio reduced its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 7.4% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 41,645 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 3,339 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio’s holdings in Natera were worth $3,809,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Natera by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,044,743 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,010,152,000 after acquiring an additional 72,848 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Natera by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,703,615 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $106,714,000 after buying an additional 112,825 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter worth about $83,970,000. Avidity Partners Management LP grew its position in shares of Natera by 23.5% during the fourth quarter. Avidity Partners Management LP now owns 1,110,000 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $69,530,000 after buying an additional 211,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Natera by 7.4% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 997,909 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $62,509,000 after buying an additional 68,480 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on NTRA. Jefferies Financial Group began 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. StockNews.com upgraded Natera from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Natera from $123.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 10th. BTIG Research boosted their price objective on Natera from $100.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Natera from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $101.19.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Natera news, insider Daniel Rabinowitz sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.59, for a total value of $3,137,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 204,495 shares in the company, valued at $21,388,132.05. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 6,779 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.08, for a total transaction of $725,895.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 219,456 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,499,348.48. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Daniel Rabinowitz sold 30,000 shares of Natera stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.59, for a total value of $3,137,700.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 204,495 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,388,132.05. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 118,387 shares of company stock worth $12,684,836. 7.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Natera Trading Up 0.6 %

NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $103.00 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $108.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $93.32. The company has a current ratio of 4.12, a quick ratio of 3.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $36.90 and a 1 year high of $117.23.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released 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. The firm had revenue of $367.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $316.31 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 49.72% and a negative net margin of 30.24%. Natera’s revenue was up 52.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($1.23) earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -2.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.