Profund Advisors LLC Acquires 13,580 Shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Profund Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 87.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 29,174 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,580 shares during the period. Profund Advisors LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $3,159,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado raised its position in Natera by 14.3% in the second quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 11,915 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $1,290,000 after acquiring an additional 1,489 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its stake in shares of Natera by 4,082.4% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 7,821 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $847,000 after purchasing an additional 7,634 shares during the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Natera by 24.1% in the 2nd quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 4,846 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $525,000 after purchasing an additional 940 shares during the period. Seven Eight Capital LP purchased a new position in Natera in the second quarter valued at approximately $497,000. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its holdings in Natera by 16.0% during the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 11,009 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $1,189,000 after purchasing an additional 1,518 shares during the period. 99.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 37,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.10, for a total value of $4,053,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 213,351 shares in the company, valued at $23,063,243.10. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Natera news, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 37,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.10, for a total value 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Michael Burkes Brophy sold 499 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 77,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,314,693.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 93,921 shares of company stock worth $10,551,281. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on NTRA shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Natera from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Natera from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 28th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Natera in a research note on Monday, June 3rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $142.00 target price for the company. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Natera from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Finally, BTIG Research lifted their price objective on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Natera currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $120.07.

Natera Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NTRA opened at $127.78 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $114.45 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $105.54. Natera, Inc. has a twelve month low of $36.90 and a twelve month high of $132.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.69 billion, a P/E ratio of -40.96 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a quick ratio of 4.01, a current ratio of 4.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

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