HighVista Strategies LLC Invests $386,000 in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

HighVista Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 3,568 shares of the medical research company’s stock, valued at approximately $386,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 0.7% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,044,743 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,010,152,000 after acquiring an additional 72,848 shares during the period. Farallon Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Natera by 13.0% in the 1st quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 3,927,683 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $359,226,000 after purchasing an additional 452,800 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in Natera by 6.6% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,397,582 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $259,634,000 after purchasing an additional 148,917 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Natera during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $83,970,000. Finally, Avidity Partners Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 23.5% in 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. Institutional investors own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on NTRA shares. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Natera in a report on Monday, June 3rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $142.00 price target on the stock. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Natera from $117.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. BTIG Research upped their price objective on Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Natera from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Natera currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $120.07.

Insider Transactions at Natera

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 37,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.10, for a total transaction of $4,053,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 213,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,063,243.10. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Natera news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 549 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.16, for a total value of $57,732.84. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 113,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,950,066.92. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 37,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.10, for a total transaction of $4,053,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 213,351 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,063,243.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 93,921 shares of company stock valued at $10,551,281 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Natera Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $127.78 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $15.69 billion, a PE ratio of -40.96 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a current ratio of 4.14, a quick ratio of 4.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Natera, Inc. has a 12-month low of $36.90 and a 12-month high of $132.01. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $114.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $105.54.

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