Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA)

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) by 21.1% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 24,464 shares of the medical research company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,267 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Natera were worth $3,106,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Natera in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in shares of Natera by 148.4% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 318 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Natera by 50.0% in 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 in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Natera by 34.3% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 372 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tobam purchased a new position in shares of Natera in the 2nd quarter worth about $74,000. 99.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Natera

In related news, insider Solomon Moshkevich sold 256 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.07, for a total transaction of $30,737.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 111,891 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,434,752.37. This trade represents a 0.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Jonathan Sheena sold 2,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.57, for a total value of $344,439.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 284,741 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $36,324,409.37. This trade represents a 0.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 36,821 shares of company stock valued at $4,776,878 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Natera Stock Down 3.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRA opened at $146.06 on Friday. Natera, Inc. has a 52-week low of $52.01 and a 52-week high of $167.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.28 billion, a P/E ratio of -82.99 and a beta of 1.53. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $127.38 and a 200-day moving average price of $115.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 4.01 and a current ratio of 4.39.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 12th. The medical research company reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.57) by $0.31. Natera had a negative return on equity of 26.23% and a negative net margin of 14.01%. The firm had revenue of $439.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $361.43 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.95) EPS. The business’s revenue was up 63.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Natera, Inc. will post -1.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on NTRA shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Natera from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Natera from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. TD Cowen increased their target price on Natera from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group dropped their target price on Natera from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on Natera from $125.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $137.65.

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.