Federated Hermes Inc. Acquires 57,476 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 13.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 480,745 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 57,476 shares during the quarter. Federated Hermes Inc.’s holdings in Natera were worth $52,060,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 6,007.5% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 7,329 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $459,000 after buying an additional 7,209 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Natera by 13.9% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,109 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,635,000 after purchasing an additional 3,178 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Natera in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 8.3% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 16,810 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,053,000 after purchasing an additional 1,293 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in Natera by 375.3% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 183,375 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $11,487,000 after purchasing an additional 144,798 shares during the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NTRA opened at $126.51 on Friday. Natera, Inc. has a 12 month low of $36.90 and a 12 month high of $128.28. The company has a current ratio of 4.14, a quick ratio of 4.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $112.45 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $103.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.65 billion, a P/E ratio of -40.55 and a beta of 1.53.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The medical research company reported ($0.30) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.69) by $0.39. The company had revenue of $413.35 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $343.00 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 21.47% and a negative return on equity of 36.74%. Natera’s quarterly revenue was up 58.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($0.97) EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.96 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In related news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 499 shares of Natera stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.40, for a total value of $53,592.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 77,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,314,693.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.01, for a total value of $1,452,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 287,441 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,783,235.41. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 499 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.40, for a total transaction of $53,592.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 77,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,314,693.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 92,388 shares of company stock valued at $10,205,064. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on NTRA shares. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on Natera from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Monday, June 3rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $142.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group reduced their price target on Natera from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 price objective on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $120.07.

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.