Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Shares Bought by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 43.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 6,701,425 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,036,396 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned approximately 0.05% of Natera worth $1,060,836,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in NTRA. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Natera by 104.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 190 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of Natera by 345.8% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 214 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Natera by 372.9% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of Natera by 20.7% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Natera by 1,328.0% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 357 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Natera Stock Performance

Shares of NTRA opened at $148.30 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $159.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $150.54. Natera, Inc. has a 52-week low of $83.13 and a 52-week high of $183.00. The firm has a market cap of $20.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -84.26 and a beta of 1.80. The company has a quick ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 4.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The medical research company reported ($0.41) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.42) by $0.01. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.01% and a negative return on equity of 26.23%. The business had revenue of $476.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $447.91 million. Analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related 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 transaction of $12,958,888.41. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 267,629 shares in the company, valued at $44,150,756.13. This trade represents a 22.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 24,861 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.97, for a total transaction of $4,101,319.17. Following the sale, the insider now owns 140,684 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,208,639.48. The trade was a 15.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 306,797 shares of company stock worth $48,940,883. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NTRA has been the subject of several recent research reports. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Barclays initiated coverage on Natera in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a report on Friday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Natera from $176.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. 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 stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.