Virtu Financial LLC Boosts Stake in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Virtu Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 20.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,288 shares of the medical research company’s stock after buying an additional 1,552 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC’s holdings in Natera were worth $1,006,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Natera during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Natera by 50.0% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 324 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Natera during the first quarter worth about $36,000. Tobam acquired a new position in shares of Natera in the second quarter valued at approximately $74,000. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale acquired a new stake in Natera during the first quarter worth approximately $83,000. 99.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on NTRA shares. UBS Group cut their price target on Natera from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 9th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Natera in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Robert W. Baird lifted 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. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Natera from $137.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, BTIG Research boosted their target price on shares of Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Natera presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $120.07.

Natera Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of Natera stock opened at $127.10 on Thursday. Natera, Inc. has a twelve month low of $36.90 and a twelve month high of $132.01. The stock has a market cap of $15.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -40.74 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. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $113.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $104.89.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $413.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $343.00 million. Natera had a negative return on equity of 36.74% and a negative net margin of 21.47%. The company’s revenue was up 58.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.97) earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Natera news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 549 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.16, for a total value of $57,732.84. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 113,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,950,066.92. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Steven Leonard Chapman sold 37,500 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $4,053,750.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 213,351 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,063,243.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 86,197 shares of company stock worth $9,561,358 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

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.