O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Acquires 1,396 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 26.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,594 shares of the medical research company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,396 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $1,044,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in 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 buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Natera by 372.9% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Natera by 20.7% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 344 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Natera

In other Natera news, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 946 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.98, for a total transaction of $162,693.08. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 109,474 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,827,338.52. The trade was a 0.86 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 78,553 shares of the firm’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 $12,958,888.41. Following the completion of 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 325,922 shares of company stock valued at $51,603,664. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on Natera from $160.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. StockNews.com raised shares of Natera from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on shares of Natera in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $251.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $178.12.

Natera Stock Up 3.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $138.26 on Tuesday. Natera, Inc. has a 1 year low of $83.13 and a 1 year high of $183.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 4.39 and a quick ratio of 4.23. The business’s 50-day moving average is $156.27 and its 200-day moving average is $151.65. The company has a market capitalization of $18.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -78.56 and a beta of 1.80.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last posted 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 return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The firm had revenue of $476.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $447.91 million. Equities research analysts predict that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

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.